International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) leader Chandan Kumar Dhar, alias Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, was arrested from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport area in Dhaka this afternoon.
Rezaul Karim Mallick, additional commissioner (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said a team of detectives arrested him in connection to a case filed in Chattogram.
On October 31, a sedition case was filed against 19 people, including Chinmoy, divisional organising secretary of the ISKCON, Chattogram with Kotwali Police Station.
Firoz Khan, then general secretary of Mohora ward BNP, filed the case on charges of disrespecting Bangladesh's national flag in Chattogram's New Market area during a rally of the Hindu community on August 25.
A day after filing the case, he was expelled from the party by BNP's Chattogram city unit high command over his involvement in "anti-party" activities.
According to the case statement, the incident occurred on October 25, when a group of youths reportedly placed a saffron-coloured flag over the Bangladeshi flag on the Independent pillar (Shadhinata Smathamva) at Zero Point near the New Market intersection during a rally organised by the Hindu community under the banner "Sanatan Jagaran Mancha".
Meanwhile, hundreds of people from the Hindu community took to the streets at Cheragi Pahar intersection in the port city around 6:00pm protesting the Chinmoy's arrest.
They brought out a procession and demanded his immediate release.
Contacted, Swatantro Gouranga Das Brahmachari, member of the managing committee of ISKON Proborttak Shri Krishna Mandir, said Chinmoy went to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 3:30pm to catch a flight to Chattogram.
"From his personal assistant, I found out that some plainclothes men introducing themselves as members of the detective branch picked him up from the entrance of the airport," he said.
"So far we have information that he was taken to the DB office at Minto Road in Dhaka," he added.
Kazi Tarek Aziz, additional deputy commissioner (public relations) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, said police have been deployed to thwart any untoward incident.
The Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad in a statement condemned Chinmoy's arrest.
Its presidents Ushaton Talukder, Prof Dr Nim Chandra Bhowmik, and Nirmal Rozario and acting general secretary Manindra Kumar Nath demanded the release of Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote spokesperson Prabhu Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in the national interest.
The leaders opined that the arrest has the potential to tarnish Bangladesh's global image on the issue of freedom of expression and human rights.
