NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Friday issued a statement asserting that the Hindus arrested in Bangladesh including Iskcon priest Chinmoy Krishna Das must get a fair trial.
“Regarding the release (of Chinmoy Krishna Das) in Bangladesh, our expectation is that the ongoing proceedings in Bangladesh will ensure that individuals arrested in this case receive a fair trial,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a press briefing. “This remains our key expectation,” says MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal,” he added.
This comes after Bangladesh court rejected the bail application of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das on Thursday in connection with a sedition case.
He was arrested after authorities filed a sedition case against him and 18 others in Chittagong on October 30. The allegations stemmed from an incident where a saffron flag was placed above Bangladesh’s national flag during a demonstration at Laldighi Maidan in Chattogram on October 25 last year. When Das appeared before a Chittagong court, even then his request for bail was rejected, and he was remanded to custody.
MEA also addressed the exchnage of fishermen arrested on both sides. “This exchange is going to happen on 5th January, 95 Indian fishermen will be released from their side and 90 (Bangladeshi fishermen) will be released from our side…this fishermen had gone astray…this approach of India of fostering ties with Bangladesh was made very clear during Foreign Secretary’s visit to Dhaka, where he highlighted India’s support for a democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh,” said Jaiswal.
Meanwhile, addressing the extradition request for Sheikh Hasina from Bangladesh, the MEA spokesperson said, “A week before, I had confirmed that we had received a communication from the Bangladesh authorities in respect to former PM Sheikh Hasina. Further than that, I have nothing to add at this point in time.”
The interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus seeks Hasina’s return through the India-Bangladesh extradition agreement “to try her for mass killings during the student-led protests in July and August”.
The 2013 extradition agreement between Bangladesh and India, which underwent modifications in 2016, governs the potential return of Hasina, who currently faces 51 legal charges, including 42 for homicide, as per Bangladesh authorities. Whilst the treaty permits refusal of extradition for “offence of a political character”, it explicitly states that certain crimes, including homicide, cannot be classified as political. The BSS report stated that extradition requests can be denied if the charges are not deemed to have been “made in good faith, in the interest of justice.”