THE LAWYER of jailed Bangladesh monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, Rabindra Ghosh, on Thursday said that he would fight for his client in a court in the neighbouring country on January 2 and also alleged that efforts were being made by some to “prolong” the monk’s imprisonment.
“Conspiracy to keep Chinmoy Krishna Das in jail year after year,” Ghosh alleged while speaking to mediapersons outside ISKCON temple in Kolkata. He added, “I will return to Bangladesh and continue my fight for all who are facing atrocities.”
Ghosh, a practicing lawyer at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, is also chairman of Bangladesh Minority Watch. He said he twice tried to appear at the Chittagong metropolitan sessions judge’s court to defend and file a bail application for Das, but could not do so.
“The next hearing is on January 2, 2025. If I am not sick, I will appear in court to defend him. If I am unable to, I will arrange for lawyers to defend him. We will continue the fight,” said Ghosh.
Ghosh, who is currently residing in West Bengal’s Barrackpore for medical treatment, claims that the monk has been framed on “false charges”.
He visited the ISKCON temple and Kolkata office and met with Radharamn Das, vice president of ISKCON Kolkata.
Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while en route to Chattogram for a rally.
Denied bail, Das has been sent to jail till January 2 by a court in Bangladesh.
“There is international outrage on the issue. Chinmoy Krishna Das did good for people. Why would he be in jail? Why would a sedition case be filed against him? He is being harassed and the lawyers who are trying to defend him are being harassed. There is a conspiracy to keep him in jail. If there is no hearing in court, he will be in jail. There is a constancy to keep judicial interference at bay. I am a lawyer and I have no political affiliations. Everyone is equal before the law,” added Ghosh.
“There have been over 6,650 incidents of atrocities against minorities (since interim government came). I have been to several foreign countries. There are international laws. But what can we do if such laws are unheeded (in Bangladesh)” the lawyer said.
“We, those lawyers who went to court to plead for him were stopped by fellow lawyers. They are also fellow lawyers but they tried to stop us. We have received threats,” he said. “We will continue to fight for democracy and human rights which is in peril in a Bangladesh,” Ghosh said.