Leaders of the Sanatani Jagaran Mancha gathered outside the Detective Branch (DB) office in Dhaka on Monday evening to protest the arrest of their spokesperson, Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari.
Chinmoy, also the principal of Pundarik Dham in Chattogram, was taken into custody by the DB police at Dhaka airport earlier in the day, around 4:30pm. The arrest was later confirmed by DB Additional Police Commissioner Rezaul Karim Mallick.
By 6:45 pm, 30-40 Mancha leaders assembled outside the DB office on Minto Road, voicing their discontent and vowing to escalate their protest. We will move to Shahbagh after this, they declared.
Chinmoy Krishna Das has been under scrutiny following a sedition case filed in Chattogram by BNP leader Firoz Khan, accusing him of insulting the national flag during a rally on October 25. Firoz Khan has since been expelled from the BNP.
Chinmoy has also been at the forefront of recent activities by Bangladesh Sanatani Jagaran Mancha, which has aligned with the Bangladesh Sammilita Sangkhyalaghu Jote under a new banner, Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatani Jagran Jote. This coalition recently organised an eight-point-demand rally in Rangpur.
In a separate development, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Bangladesh expelled Chinmoy Krishna Das from its organization. No official reason has been disclosed.
The Sanatani Jagran Mancha leaders, adamant in their demand for Chinmoy's release, have hinted at intensifying their protests. Law enforcement authorities have not yet disclosed details about the charges or the next course of action.