Who is Chinmoy Krishna Das, Hindu priest arrested in Bangladesh?

Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, also known as Sri Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu in the ISKCON community, is an influential religious leader in Bangladesh.

Chinmoy Krishna Das is the president of Pundarik Dham, an ISKCON center in Bangladesh, and has long been a voice for religious freedom and minority protection.

Previously, Chinmoy Krishna Das also served as the Divisional Organizing Secretary of ISKCON in Chittagong.

Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari was born in 1985 in Karianagar village, Chittagong. He was initiated in 1997 at the age of 12 and joined ISKCON as a Brahmachari.

His arrest followed a rally in Chittagong on October 25, 2024, where he was accused of disrespecting the Bangladesh flag. A sedition case was filed against him and 18 others.

Just before his arrest, on November 22, he condemned the violent attacks on the Hindu community at a rally in Rangpur.

On November 26, a Bangladeshi court rejected his bail plea and ordered him to be sent to custody.

Until a few months ago, Brahmachari was not very well known, but he gained recognition after the attacks on the Hindu community and their temples in Bangladesh.

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime, violence erupted against the Hindu community, and during this time Chinmoy Krishna Das raised his voice for the safety of Hindus.

India's MEA expressed deep concern over the arrest of Das and said that attention should be paid to the attacks on the Hindu community and other minorities in Bangladesh.