Bangladesh court again rejects bail for Hindu leader charged with sedition

Krishna Das Prabhu faces sedition charges for starring rallies demanding amended information for number groups successful Chattogram city.

A tribunal successful Bangladesh has again denied bail to an outspoken Hindu person advocating for the extortion of number groups successful the country.

Krishna Das Prabhu did not look astatine the proceeding astatine the tribunal successful the southeastern metropolis of Chattogram, wherever Metropolitan Sessions Judge Saiful Islam rejected his bail plea, according to Public Prosecutor Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan.

Security was choky astatine the hearing, with constabulary and soldiers guarding the court. Violence had erupted pursuing a erstwhile bail proceeding successful November, with Prabhu’s followers accused of sidesplitting a Muslim nationalist prosecutor.

Prabhu, 39, was arrested for allegedly disrespecting the Bangladeshi emblem during a rally successful Chattogram and faces sedition charges.

Hindu groups allege determination person been hundreds of attacks connected Hindus since August erstwhile the astir 16-year authorities of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was overthrown.

“He faces superior charges similar sedition and others involving the information and sovereignty of our country,” Bhuiyan told The Associated Press quality bureau by telephone.

“We argued successful the tribunal that if helium gets bail it could make anarchy arsenic we saw successful the past that helium triggered unit connected the tribunal premises by calling thousands of his supporters to protest. So, we moved against his bail plea arsenic we believed that helium could misuse his bail.”

Hindu monks be a protestation rally condemning Prabhu’s apprehension successful Kolkata, India [File: Bikas Das/AP]

Prabhu is simply a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatan Jagaran Jote group. He is besides associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), wide known arsenic the Hare Krishna movement.

Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee, a lawyer representing Prabhu, said they would entreaty the decision.

Radharamn Das, vice president and spokesperson of ISKCON successful Kolkata, the superior of India’s West Bengal state, told India Today web that Prabhu’s wellness was deteriorating. He said the jailed Hindu person “has go a look of minorities successful Bangladesh”.

“The minorities spot him arsenic a ray of hope. He represents their voice,” Das said.

Meanwhile, the household of the lawyer hacked to decease successful November, Saiful Islam Alif, has filed 2 abstracted cases against those they accidental are linked to his death. That includes 58 Hindu lawyers accused of vandalism and carrying explosives.

Bangladesh saw spiritual tensions aft a chiefly student-led gyration toppled “autocratic” Hasina. India’s Hindu nationalist authorities backed Hasina, who has been successful exile successful India since protesters stormed her palace connected August 5.

Bangladesh successful December requested India send Hasina back to look charges of “massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity”. India confirmed it had received the petition but declined to remark further.

Hindu groups and different number groups successful Bangladesh and overseas person criticised the interim authorities led by Nobel bid laureate Muhammad Yunus for undermining their security aft Hasina’s fall.

Yunus and his supporters accidental reports of attacks connected Hindus and different number groups since August person been exaggerated.