Bangladesh: Court defers bail hearing of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das for one month
A Bangladeshi court on Tuesday deferred the bail hearing of arrested Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das till January 2.
The Chittagong Metropolitan Session Judge Saiful Islam set the new date for the hearing as the defence lawyer was absent from the courtroom at 11am, reported Dhaka Tribune.
Security in the court premises was increased due to the hearing.
His bail hearing was deferred just a day after ISKCON spokesperson Radharamn Das claimed the only lawyer who was ready to defend Chinmoy Krishna Das was attacked by 'Islamists'.
Radharamn Das said Das is currently fighting for his life in hospital.
Sharing an image of the lawyer, who was identified as Ramen Roy, Das wrote on X: "Please pray for Advocate Ramen Roy. His only 'fault' was defending Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu in court."
"Islamists ransacked his home and brutally attacked him, leaving him in the ICU, fighting for his life," the ISKCON spokesperson said.
Bangladesh is once again witnessing turmoil since Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested recently, triggering massive protests by minority community members in the country.
Bangladesh has been struggling for the past several months since a massive anti-job quota demonstration forced former PM Sheikh Hasina-led government to topple, ending her new term prematurely. She left the country amid a political crisis.
It is suspected that foreign hands were at play in orchestrating the unrest and planning her ouster.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus-led government took charge of the country just three days after Hasina exited the country. Yunus, known for his closeness to the US Democrats, also accepted later in an event in America that there was “design and conspiracy" involved in the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.