A Muktijoddha Vows To Free Chinmoy Krishna Das

Septuagenarian Bangladeshi lawyer Rabindranath Ghosh, in Kolkata on a medical visa, tells ETV Bharat's Soumita Bhattacharjee he will argue for the monk on January 2.

Kolkata: The minority Hindu community and Sanatanis across the world are eagerly awaiting the release of ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, incarcerated in Bangladesh on the charge of sedition. A possible outcome on this is expected on January 2 next year as lawyer Rabindranath Ghosh said he will argue for Das in the courtroom.

Currently in Kolkata on a medical visa, the septuagenarian said, "I will return to Bangladesh soon. The case of Chinmoy Krishna Das will be heard on January 2 and I will argue for him."

India's eastern neighbour has been on the boil since the middle of this year following a nationwide student protest against then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The situation worsened after the government crackdown on the protestors, resulting in the dethronement of Hasina on August 5 and her asylum in India. Since then, the interim government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been running the country.

However, instead of reigning in the turmoil, the government remained a silent spectator of the rampant persecution of minorities especially the Hindus. Das was most vocal about it and was at the forefront of protests. He was arrested on November 25 from the Dhaka International Airport on charges of dishonouring the national flag and subsequently a case of sedition was slapped on him. Since then he has been languishing in jail.

Das' bail application was scheduled to be heard by a court in Chattogram at the beginning of December but no lawyer turned up for him. The court rescheduled the hearing on January 2, 2025.

However, clouds of uncertainty are hovering over the next hearing as it was alleged that lawyers willing to fight for Das were stopped, threatened and even manhandled.

"I am his (Das) lawyer and went to present his side to the court. I travelled to Chattogram from Dhaka to appear in the court. But I was stopped and harassed by people. Even fellow lawyers also prevented me from arguing. It's not possible to predict what will happen on January 2," Ghosh, a Muktijodhha(1971 war veteran), said.

Meanwhile, many minority Hindus have started fleeing Bangladesh and some of them have been apprehended by the BSF on the Indo-Bangla border.

"Many persecuted people are willing to cross over to India and in the process are being detained by the security forces. I am political but a human rights activist who fights to get justice for the people. Why will I flee my country? I will always stay there (in Bangladesh)," Ghosh said.