Clash in Chittagong leaves one dead, dozen injured during protest over religious leader’s arrest

Sanjoy Kumar Barua

A clash in Chittagong, Bangladesh, on Tuesday left one person dead and fifteen others injured during a protest demanding the release of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a prominent Hindu religious leader.

The deceased was identified as Saiful Islam Alif, a trainee lawyer.

Dr. Nibedita Ghosh, a duty doctor at Chittagong Medical College Hospital, confirmed the incident and stated, “The injured are undergoing treatment at the hospital while few of the injured conditions are critical.”

The unrest began around noon when thousands of followers of Chinmoy Krishna Das gathered at the Chattogram court premises, demanding his immediate release.

Protesters obstructed a prison van carrying Das and staged a blockade that lasted nearly three hours.

According to eyewitnesses, police deployed teargas, sound grenades, and batons to disperse the crowd.

Violence ensued, leading to casualties.

Witnesses also reported that an unidentified group dragged an individual to nearby Jangal Cinema Lane, where he was fatally beaten and hacked.

Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha and an associate of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was arrested at Dhaka Airport on Monday.

He faces sedition charges filed in October for allegedly disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag during a large rally in Chittagong.

Das was presented before the Chattogram Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, where he was denied bail and sent to jail.

The court set Wednesday morning for another bail hearing.

Protests intensified as over 2,000 supporters surrounded the court premises, preventing the prison van from leaving.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police Commissioner Hasib Aziz confirmed that law enforcement faced significant resistance before restoring order.

The arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das has drawn sharp criticism from India, with its foreign ministry issuing a stern statement urging the caretaker government of Bangladesh to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and other minorities.

“It is unfortunate that, while the perpetrators of documented vandalism and arson against minorities remain at large, charges are being pressed against a religious leader for presenting legitimate demands through peaceful gatherings,” read the statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

India, a Hindu-majority nation with close cultural and economic ties to Bangladesh, has expressed growing concerns over a series of attacks on Hindus in recent years.

The sedition case against Das was filed by Firoz Khan, a local leader of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who has since been expelled from the party.

Das’s supporters claim the charges are politically motivated and part of a broader pattern of targeting minority communities in Bangladesh.

The arrest has sparked protests in both Dhaka and Chittagong, highlighting the increasing tension over minority rights and religious freedoms in the country.