Hindu monk, in Bangladesh jail, gets 5-hour parole to attend mother's funeral

Das was arrested in November 2024 on sedition charges over allegations that he disrespected Bangladesh’s national flag.

Bangladesh authorities have granted jailed Hindu rights leader Chinmoy Krishna Das five-hour parole to attend his mother’s funeral, local media reported on Thursday.Chattogram district deputy commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mia ordered his release after Das’s family submitted an application.

His mother, 70-year-old Sandhya Rani Dhar, died early on Thursday while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Hathazari.“Following an application by his brother over the death of his mother, we have passed an order to release Chinmoy Krishna from jail on parole for five hours in accordance with the law,” The Daily Star quoted Islam Mia as saying.Das travelled to Hathazari for the funeral before returning to jail within the permitted period, according to bdnews24.com."The application has been approved. He will be released for five hours. He will have to travel to Hathazari, attend his mother's funeral and return within that period," the news portal quoted Swatantra Gauranga Das Brahmachari, vice-president of Iskcon's Prabartak Sri Krishna Temple, as saying.

Arrest and legal proceedings

Das was arrested in November 2024 on sedition charges over allegations that he disrespected Bangladesh’s national flag.

His arrest triggered protests and heightened communal tensions in the country.He was later charged in several other cases, including murder, attempted murder and vandalism. He is facing six criminal cases in total and has secured bail from the high court in four of them.However, Das remains in jail because his bail in the sedition case has been stayed. Proceedings in a murder case against him are also continuing before the Chattogram Speedy Trial Tribunal.The murder case relates to the death of government prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif, who was hacked to death in Chattogram by activists protesting Das’s arrest.Das was previously associated with Iskcon and serves as a spokesman for Hindu Sammilito Sanatan Jagaran Jote.The group organised several rallies in Bangladesh in 2024, calling for minority rights, security and protection from civil unrest after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina following a violent student-led street movement.