A case was lodged on Sunday over a clash between police and followers of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das on the court premises in Chittagong, according to a media report.
The Dhaka Tribune newspaper said the case names the Hindu leader, arrested on a charge of sedition, as the prime accused, along with 164 identified individuals and 400 to 500 unidentified people.
Businessman and Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh activist Enamul Haque brought the case before Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Abu Bakar Siddique. Haque said that on November 26, after finishing his job on the land registration, he was ambushed by Chinmoy Krishna’s supporters as he was leaving the court.
“Because I was wearing a headgear and a panjabi, they singled me out. I suffered brain injuries and a damaged right hand as a result of the attack,” Haque stated. After being saved by onlookers, he was taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
He was rescued by bystanders and admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital, the newspaper said. Haque cited a protracted sickness brought on by the attack injuries as an explanation for the delay in submitting the case. Haque suffered brain injuries during the attack, and his right hand was shattered. Chinmoy Krishna is the primary culprit in this case, according to his attorney.
The incident is one of the altercations connected to Chinmoy Krishna’s detention at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on November 25 on allegations of sedition. Supporters have staged large-scale protests in response to his incarceration, and tensions among Bangladesh’s Hindu minority have increased. Haque also said that his delay in filing the case was due to his prolonged illness from the attack.
There have also been several clashes linked to the imprisonment of Chinmoy Krishna, spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sommilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote.
Numerous people and hundreds of unnamed people were named in three connected complaints that Chittagong police filed at Kotwali police station on November 27 for attacking protesters and hindering law enforcement.
Furthermore, on November 28, a businessman filed a second lawsuit, claiming that there had been an assault close to Rangam Cinema Hall. Along with 40 to 50 unnamed people, that complaint mentioned 29 people, including members of political organisations and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
Separately, another case was filed by a businessman on Tuesday, alleging assault by a group near Rangam Cinema Hall on November 26.
The complaint named 29 individuals, including members of political organisations and ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), alongside 40 to 50 unidentified persons, the report said.
Former ISKCON member and Bangladesh Sommilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote speaker Chinmoy Krishna has turned into a divisive figure. Concerns about how Hindus are treated in Bangladesh have increased as a result of his incarceration, particularly in light of the current spike in attacks on minority groups.
The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power after deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country on August 5 following a student-led protest.
The relations deteriorated further in recent weeks over continued attacks on Hindus and especially after the arrest of the Hindu monk, a former member of ISKCON Bangladesh.
Supporters of the monk staged protests when Das was arrested on November 25 in connection with a sedition case from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
After the monk was refused bail on November 26, Saiful Islam Alif, an associate government prosecutor, was slain during a demonstration in Chattogram.
On December 3, a Bangladesh court deferred to January 2 hearing on the bail petition of Chinmoy Krishna on a government plea as no lawyer appeared on his behalf.
(with PTI inputs)
