A Bangladeshi court on Monday formally began the trial of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das and 38 others by framing charges in connection with the killing of a lawyer during violence in the southeastern port city of Chattogram in November 2024.
The Chattogram Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal indicted Das under Sections 302 and 109 of the Penal Code, while charges under various sections were framed against 22 other accused, a prosecution lawyer said after the hearing.
In total, 39 people have been named in the case.
Prosecutors said 23 of the accused, including Das, are currently in custody and will face trial in person, while 16 others remain absconding.
The victim, junior government prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif, was killed on November 26, 2024, during clashes that broke out amid protests following Das’s arrest.
Das, a spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote and a former ISKCON leader, was arrested a day earlier from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on charges of sedition.
He was later denied bail and sent to jail by a Chattogram court.
His detention triggered protests by supporters in Dhaka and other parts of the country, with demonstrations in Chattogram turning violent.
The tribunal framed the charges after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defence, around 14 months after Alif’s death. Before passing the order, the judge read out the charges to the accused present in court.
Television footage and videos circulating on social media showed Das being brought to the courtroom under heavy security, escorted by members of the elite SWAT unit, as armed police stood guard and crowds outside shouted slogans accusing the accused of murder.
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Describing the case as sensitive, prosecuting lawyer Raihanul Wazed said it had implications for communal harmony and national security, and alleged that Das and his followers were responsible for the lawyer’s death.
Das’s organisation had organised multiple rallies in 2024 following the ouster of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, protesting alleged attacks and discrimination against Hindu communities.
Hindus constitute about eight per cent of Bangladesh’s nearly 170 million population, according to 2022 data.
Das’s arrest had earlier drawn attention at the diplomatic level, with India expressing concern over his detention, briefly straining ties between New Delhi and Dhaka.
