Sammilita Sanatan Jagaran Jote spokesperson Chinmay Krishna Das taken into custody

The Detective Branch (DB) of police has arrested Chinmay Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatan Jagaran Jote and principal of Pundarik Dham.

Rezaul Karim Mallik, Additional Commissioner of the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), confirmed his arrest to Prothom Alo. He stated that the DB arrested him at the request of the police, and he will be handed over to them for further proceedings.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Proshenjit Kumar Halder, a central representative of Sammilita Sanatan Jagaran Jote, said that DB police detained Chinmay Krishna Das from Shahjalal International Airport on Monday afternoon. He was named in a case filed by BNP leader Firoze Khan—who was later expelled from the party—following a rally organized by Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha in Chattogram on October 25. The case accused him of desecrating the national flag.

Chinmay Krishna Das is also the spokesperson for the newly-formed Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, which has been organizing joint programs with Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha and Bangladesh Sammilita Minority Jote.

The Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote has been holding rallies for several days to press their demands. In the meantime, ISKCON recently expelled Chinmay Krishna Das from their organization.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has strongly condemned his arrest. In a press release, the council's presidents—Ushatan Talukder, Nimchandra Bhowmick, and Nirmal Rozario—expressed concerns that the arrest could harm the country's international reputation regarding freedom of speech and demanded the immediate release of Chinmay Krishna Das.