One dead as Bangladeshi Hindus protest denial of bail to ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari

Clashes erupt in Bangladesh as Hindu leader is denied bail on sedition charges, sparking tensions between religious groups.

Bangladeshi supporters of an arrested Hindu leader clashed with security forces on Tuesday (November 26, 2024) after the outspoken monk was denied bail on sedition charges, with one person killed, police said.

Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, the spokesman of a newly-formed Hindu group leading protests calling for the protection of the minority, was arrested on Monday (November 25, 2024) afternoon.

Religious relations have been turbulent in Bangladesh since a student-led revolution forced long-time autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to neighbouring India.

Brahmachari, of the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatan Jagaran Jote group, was arrested as he travelled from Dhaka to Chittagong on Monday (November 25, 2024).

On Tuesday (November 26, 2024), supporters angry that bail was denied, surrounded the prison van carrying him away from court in Chittagong. Others hurled rocks.

Security forces lobbed stun grenades and launched baton charges to break the crowd, and Brahmachari was eventually taken to prison in a police pickup truck.

Nurul Alam, a police inspector posted at Chittagong Medical College Hospital, said a public prosecutor had been killed, identifying him as Saiful Islam Alif, a Muslim.