Staff Correspondent:

A Chattogram court on Thursday rejected the bail petition of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a former ISKCON leader, in five cases filed over murder and clashes on the court building premises on November 26 last year.

The court of Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Hasanul Islam passed the order after hearing both the prosecution and defense, Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) of the Metropolitan Sessions Court, Advocate Raihanul Wazed Chowdhury.

“He was produced before the court amid tight security at around 11:15am, and after the hearing, he was sent back to jail,” he added.

Defense lawyers submitted the bail petitions before the court on behalf of Chinmoy in the five cases filed with Kotwali Police Station earlier in the day.

A team of lawyers led by senior advocate Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya from Dhaka represented accused Chinmoy during the hearing.

Apurba said “we sought bail but the court rejected his bail petitions. We told the court to ensure his treatment in jail as he (Chinmoy) has health issues.”

Amid the hearing, police enforced tight security, deploying additional personnel.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC-Prosecution) Mofiz Uddin of CMP said extra security measures were taken during Chinmoy’s hearing to avert any untoward situation in the court.

According to police, Chinmoy’s supporters blocked the prison van carrying him, prompting police to charge with batons, which triggered the clash.

During the violence, Advocate Saiful Islam Alif was beaten and hacked to death.