The government has granted five-hour parole to Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari so that he can attend the last rites of his mother Sandhya Rani Dhar, 71, who died on Thursday.
Sandhya Rani, mother of Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote spokesperson Chinmoy Krishna Das, died around 9:30am while undergoing treatment at Pundarik Dham in Hathazari, Chattogram.
His family had sought the parole shortly after her death to allow the jailed religious leader to attend her funeral rites.
Kushal Baran Chakraborty, assistant professor of the Department of Sanskrit at Chittagong University, said they had gone to the Chattogram district administration office on Thursday to seek Chinmoy’s release on parole.
“We have come to the district administration office to seek his release on parole. We hope he can be released soon,” he said.
The government subsequently approved the five-hour parole.
Following the decision, security was tightened around Pundarik Dham, where Chinmoy is expected to be taken to attend his mother’s last rites.
Kazi Mohammad Tarek Aziz, additional superintendent of police of the Hathazari Circle, said police had been deployed at the site and additional reserve forces were being brought in.
“There is a possibility that Chinmoy will be released on parole. In that case, he will be brought to Hathazari,” he said earlier, before the parole was granted.
Kazi Aminur Rashid, assistant commissioner (media) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, said the police had taken additional security measures following the death of Chinmoy’s mother.
He said adequate security would be maintained along the route used to escort Chinmoy to and from Pundarik Dham.
Mother had been suffering from cancer
Sandhya Rani had been suffering from cancer for a long time. She also had heart disease and several age-related health complications.
According to family members, she had been under severe mental stress since her son was arrested. Hoping for his release, she had travelled to Dhaka and contacted various levels of the government.
Her health deteriorated further after she returned to Chattogram. During her final days, she was kept at Pundarik Dham with oxygen support and other necessary medical care.
Following her death, the family began the process of securing parole for Chinmoy so that he could attend her last rites.
Chinmoy arrested in sedition case
Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested on 25 November 2024, in a sedition case filed over an allegation of disrespecting the national flag.
The following day, he was produced before a Chattogram court, which ordered that he be sent to jail. Clashes subsequently broke out between his followers and law enforcement personnel in the court area.
During the violence, lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was killed on Patharghata Bandel Road, adjacent to the court.
Later, Alif’s father, Jamal Uddin, filed a murder case naming 31 people. A court subsequently ordered that Chinmoy also be shown arrested in connection with the case.
