Tue Dec 03 07:06:04 UTC 2024: ## Bail Hearing for Accused Hindu Priest Delayed Amidst Claims of Lawyer Attacks and Intimidation

**Chattogram, Bangladesh** – The bail hearing for Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a Hindu priest accused of sedition, has been postponed until January 2, 2025, after a series of alleged attacks and legal maneuvers aimed at silencing his defense. The hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, was adjourned due to the absence of lawyers.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) claims that a lawyer defending Brahmachari, Advocate Ramen Roy, was brutally attacked at his home and is currently hospitalized in intensive care. ISKCON spokesperson Radharaman Das appealed for prayers on X (formerly Twitter), stating Roy’s only “fault” was defending the priest.

Adding to the controversy, the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, a minority coalition for which Brahmachari serves as spokesperson, alleges that approximately 70 Hindu lawyers have been falsely implicated in a case under the Explosives Act to prevent them from participating in the bail hearing. The coalition also accuses members of a political group of assaulting lawyers representing Brahmachari. However, many Bangladeshi lawyers deny these events occurred.

These allegations follow previous unsubstantiated claims of a lawyer defending Brahmachari being murdered. Investigations revealed that the deceased lawyer, Saiful Islam, was an assistant public prosecutor unrelated to Brahmachari’s case. Islam’s death followed clashes between protestors and police outside the Chattogram court on November 26th, after a previous bail rejection for Brahmachari. Following Islam’s death, his brother filed an explosives act case naming 116 individuals, and his father filed a separate murder case involving 31 suspects.

Brahmachari, a former prominent ISKCON leader, was arrested last month following protests by the Hindu community in Rangpur. The accusations of intimidation and violence surrounding his case have raised serious concerns about the freedom of speech and legal representation in Bangladesh.

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