BJP to protest today over ISKCON B'desh priest's arrest: Suvendu Adhikari

West Bengal Assembly Leader of the Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday said that BJP MLAs will march to the Bangladesh Deputy High tomorrow at 3 pm to protest the arrest of ISKCON Bangladesh priest Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari by Dhaka police.

Speaking to ANI, Adhikari said, "Tomorrow there will be an agitation in all the areas... 3 pm BJP MLA will march to Deputy High Commission... Day after tomorrow, Hindu Jagran Manch has given a call for a march from Sealdah station to the Deputy High Commission. On next Monday, the Bangladesh border will be sealed by Hindus near Petrapole. I will be present there. Everything will be closed; there is no question of export-import." 

He said this while holding a protest march in Behala against the arrest of ISKCON Bangladesh priest Chinmoy Krishna Das by Dhaka police.

Earlier today, Adhikari, along with his party members, held a protest outside the Legislative Assembly against the arrest of ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das.

Chinmoy Krishna Das, arrested on Monday, was presented before a Chittagong court on Tuesday. The court denied his bail plea and sent him to custody.

According to the Dhaka Tribune, Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari appeared before Judge Kazi Shariful Islam of the Chittagong Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate's Court at 11 am on Tuesday. His lawyers filed a bail petition, but it was rejected, and he was ordered to be sent to jail.

A case has been filed against Chinmoy Krishna Das on charges of sedition, accusing him of raising a flag on a stand displaying Bangladesh's national flag. However, the complainant has since expressed unwillingness to pursue the case, a minority leader stated.

The Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC), the largest minority group in Bangladesh, expressed concerns on Tuesday over the arrest and called on the interim government to release Chinmoy Krishna Das immediately.

"We strongly condemn the arrest of Prabhu Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson of Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, from the Dhaka airport area on Monday afternoon," said Manindra Kumar Nath, Acting General Secretary of BHBCUC.

Speaking to ANI, Nath added, "As a result of this arrest, Bangladesh's international image of freedom of expression and human rights will be tarnished globally.