Bangladesh (Commonwealth Union)_ Since the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August of this year, Bangladesh has been grappling with a series of political and religious upheavals. In a troubling development for religious minorities in Bangladesh, Islamists brutally attacked his lawyer, leaving the arrested Hindu monk facing sedition charges without legal representation. The monk, Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, who has been at the forefront of advocating for minority rights, will now have to spend an additional month in jail, as no lawyer dares to take on his case.
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On November 25, the Dhaka International Airport arrested Das, the President of the Pundarik Dham of Chattogram and a prominent figure in the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jot, a group rallying for the rights of Hindus. He was charged with sedition under a case that was filed a month earlier, in connection with his leadership of protests demanding greater legal rights for minorities in Bangladesh. The Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court swiftly rejected Das’s bail application after his arrest, setting his next court hearing for January 2, 2024. This decision means that the monk will remain in jail for at least a month. However, the situation took a dark turn when Islamists viciously attacked his lawyer, Advocate Ramen Roy, at his home, forcing him into the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital.
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As part of a larger campaign to intimidate legal professionals from representing Hindus, Iskcon India reports that the attack included a ransacking of Roy’s residence. Roy’s health is critical, and due to his absence from the case, no other lawyer has stepped forward to defend Das. The chilling effect of the attack has spread across the legal community. Videos circulating show lawyers warning that anyone attempting to represent Das in court proceedings will face public violence. Accordingly, the threat of counterattack has led to widespread fear, particularly among Hindu lawyers, some of whom have faced similar intimidation and threats from their Muslim counterparts in the Chittagong Bar Association. Reports also reveal the ransacking of Hindu lawyers’ chambers and harassment of several for their involvement in the case.
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This pattern of religious discrimination has sparked outrage among human rights advocates, who view the treatment of Das as a reflection of the broader challenges facing Bangladesh’s Hindu minority. As the largest minority group in the country, Hindus have long struggled for equal treatment and protection under the law. Das’s activism, particularly his eight-point program for minority rights, has made him a target of Islamist groups intent on silencing opposition. The lack of legal representation for Das has raised serious concerns about the fairness of Bangladesh’s justice system. His ongoing detention, without the opportunity for legal defense, highlights the growing challenges faced by religious minorities in the country. Furthermore, human rights organizations have condemned the attacks on legal professionals and the pressure on the justice system to act impartially.
Chinmoy Krishna Das, who has emerged as one of the leading voices for Hindus in Bangladesh, has repeatedly stated that the sedition charges against him are politically motivated and aimed at undermining the leadership of his movement. His arrest and the subsequent treatment of his lawyers reflect the broader climate of fear and repression surrounding religious minorities in South Asia. As the legal battle continues, the international community is watching closely. The absence of legal representation for a high-profile case like Das’s is a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges to religious freedom and human rights in the region. Bangladesh’s treatment of its Hindu minority, particularly in the context of this monk’s court case, has underscored the broader issue of religious discrimination in the country.
