Blurb: The party demanded his immediate, unconditional release and the dropping of fabricated charges from the Yunus interim government.
Dhaka
Bangladesh’s Awami League on Wednesday strongly criticised the ruling BNP government over the continued imprisonment of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, describing it as an “extreme manifestation of inhumanity”.
The party demanded his immediate and unconditional release and called for the withdrawal of what it described as false cases filed against him during the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
The Awami League said keeping Das in prison despite his critically ill mother’s plea for his release showed “brutality and cruelty” by the authorities. His mother, Sandhya Rani Dhar, is reportedly suffering from Stage 4 cancer and is undergoing treatment in a hospital’s high-dependency unit. The party said she had suffered another heart attack while battling low blood pressure and severe breathing difficulties.
According to the Awami League, Dhar has repeatedly appealed to the authorities to allow her to see her son, possibly for the last time. The party said she had made emotional appeals to leaders of both the former interim administration and the current BNP government, including BNP leader Tarique Rahman. It questioned whether humanitarian concerns could be ignored because of political considerations.
The party also defended Das’s activities, saying that raising concerns over the rights of religious minorities and members of one’s own faith should not be treated as a crime in a democratic country. It alleged that Das was arrested for speaking about the legitimate rights of Bangladesh’s minority and Hindu communities.
Das, spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jot, has remained in custody despite reportedly securing bail in two cases. His release has been blocked by two other cases, local media reports said. He was arrested in Dhaka on November 25, 2024, and sent to jail the following day after a Chattogram court rejected his bail plea. A High Court bench later granted bail after hearing two separate petitions filed by him.
