Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, the spokesperson of the Sanatan Jagaran Mancha, has been denied bail following his arrest in a sedition case.
Chattogram 6th Metropolitan Magistrate Kazi Shariful Islam passed the order after Chinmoy Krishna Das was presented before the court at 10:50am on Tuesday (26 November).
He was later sent to jail.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police (DB) arrested the accused on Monday (25 November) at around 4:30pm in the capital's airport area.
Following his detention, he was handed over to Chattogram Metropolitan Police.
The case was filed on 31 October by Firoz Khan, a BNP leader who has since been expelled from the party.
A total of 19 individuals, including Chinmoy Krishna Das, were named as accused. According to the case, on 5 August, following a mass uprising in Bangladesh, anti-discrimination student activists and members of the public hoisted the national flag at the Zero Point of the New Market intersection, where it remains to this day.
On 25 October, the Bangladesh Sanatani Jagaran Mancha organised a grand rally at Laldighi Maidan, drawing thousands of participants from across the Chattogram division.
During this event, the accused, including Chandan Kumar Dhar and nine others, allegedly replaced the national flag at the Independence Pillar with saffron-coloured religious flags associated with ISKCON, sparking outrage among citizens.
In response to the case, the official Facebook page of ISKCON Purbatak Dham released a video statement from Chinmoy Krishna Das.
He described the allegations as an attempt to derail the Sanatanis' peaceful protest for their eight-point demands, which he claimed stemmed from the violence and persecution faced by Sanatanis after 5 August.
"Our movement is not against the government or the state but is a response to the attacks and injustices endured by the Sanatani community," he clarified in the video.
The incident has evoked widespread reactions, with sections of the public expressing discontent over the purported replacement of the national flag, viewing it as a deeply disrespectful act.
