A Bangladesh court on Thursday rejected another bail plea of a jailed Hindu monk who had led protests for better protection for Hindus in the Muslim-majority country.
Krishna Das Prabhu was detained after leading large rallies in the southeastern city of Chattogram.
He was arrested for insulting the Bangladeshi flag during a rally in November and now faces charges of treason.
Another bail plea rejected
The court rejected a previous bail request made by Prabhu as he did not have legal representation.
Following the latest denial, Prabhu’s lawyer Apoorva Kumar Bhattacharjee said he would appeal against the decision.
Meanwhile, the government lawyer said that his office believes that Bhikshu may “abuse his bail” if he is released from custody.
“We argued in the court that if he gets bail it could lead to anarchy, as we had seen in the past when he called thousands of his supporters to protest,” government prosecutor Mofizul Haq Bhuiyan told news agency AP. “Incited violence in the court premises.” phone.
Prabhu did not appear in the court. Violence broke out after a previous bail hearing, with his followers accused of killing a government prosecutor during a clash.
India-Bangladesh relations soured
Religious tensions have risen in Muslim-majority Bangladesh since student-led protests ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
The Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi was a staunch ally of Hasina, and the veteran leader has been in hiding in India since fleeing Bangladesh.
His departure has left a vacuum in power which the new interim government is struggling to fill. Hindu groups allege that thousands of attacks have taken place against Hindus after the overthrow of Hasina’s government.
The interim government of Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus, has rejected the claims, calling reports of the attacks exaggerated.
ESS/DJ (AP, AFP)
