Sheikh Hasina condemns Chinmoy’s arrest, demands his immediate release

Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina today (28 November) condemned the arrest of former Iskcon Bangladesh leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari.

Hasina, who is currently residing in India following her ouster, also demanded that Chinmoy Krishna, who was arrested on sedition charges, must be released immediately. 

"A top leader of the Sanatan religious community has been unjustly arrested, he must be released immediately," Hasina said in a statement posted on Awami League's X account today.

"A lawyer has been killed in Chattogram, and we strongly condemn this heinous act. Those responsible for this murder must be identified and swiftly brought to justice," reads the statement.

The statement stated that if the "unconstitutional Yunus government" fails to punish these terrorists, it [the government] too will be held responsible for human rights violations. 

"I call on the people of the country to unite against such terrorism and militancy, as it is crucial to ensure the safety of ordinary citizens," Hasina said in the statement.

Sheikh Hasina also condemned "the killings, harassment and arrests of Awami League leaders and activists."

Earlier on Tuesday (26 November), lawyer Saiful Islam was killed amid clashes among police, lawyers, and supporters of former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das after a Chattogram court denied him bail in a sedition case.

Witnesses said unidentified people dragged Saiful to Jangal Cinema Lane on the ground floor of the court building, where he was beaten and hacked to death.

The unrest erupted when thousands of Chinmoy's followers gathered at the court premises, blocking the prison van carrying him and demanding his immediate release.

On 25 November, Chinmoy was arrested in a sedition case for allegedly disrespecting Bangladesh's national flag by hoisting a saffron flag above it at a rally organised by the Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha in Chattogram.