NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh on Tuesday met the Bangladeshi lawyer defending Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das. Ghosh met Rabindra Ghosh at his house in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.
Rabindra Ghosh, who is undergoing medical treatment in Barrackpore, reached India on December 15, to the relief of his family, who were worried about his safety in the neighbouring country.
Ghosh, accompanied by his wife, is staying with his son Rahul Ghosh in Barrackpore.
The TMC's former Rajya Sabha MP promised the lawyer from the neighbouring country that his request to meet West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee would be communicated at the appropriate level, reported news agency PTI.
"They must prevail upon their government at the Centre to use its offices for an end to the atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh," the TMC leader said in a dig at Bengal BJP.
"The release of Chinmoy Krishna Das depends on technical and legal issues. I cannot comment on this. Have the BJP leaders here taken up with the central leadership about Das' release?" Kunal Ghosh asked.
Rabindra Ghosh told PTI he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take up with the interim government in Bangladesh the atrocities and persecution of minority leaders there.
"The interim government in Bangladesh has no right to reject any policy decision taken by the previous democratically elected government," the Bangladeshi lawyer said.
Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested earlier this month at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while travelling to Chattogram for a rally. He was denied bail and sent to jail till January 2 by a court in Bangladesh.
Ghosh, who has been actively defending the arrested monk, has acknowledged the risks involved in his work.
Who is Chinmoy Krishna Das?
Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was arrested and then denied bail in a sedition case, serves as the spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, a group that champions the rights and security of minorities.
He has been a vocal advocate for the Hindu (Sanatani) community in Bangladesh, calling for key reforms such as a minority protection law, a tribunal for fast-tracking cases of minority persecution, and the establishment of a dedicated ministry of minority affairs.
He gained widespread attention for organizing large public rallies, including one in Chittagong on October 25 and another in Rangpur on November 22, which sparked significant socio-political discussions across the country.
Why was Das arrested?
He was arrested following a controversy that erupted when a sedition case was filed against him and 18 others at in Chittagong on October 30. The charges were linked to the hoisting of a saffron flag above Bangladesh's official flag during the October 25 rally at Laldighi Maidan in Chattogram.
Das was presented before a Chittagong court, where his bail plea was denied, and he was sent into custody. The arrest triggered widespread outrage, with many demanding his immediate release.
"Since I am defending Chinmoy Das Prabhu, I am aware that false cases could be filed against me, and there is also a threat to my life," Rabindra Ghosh said earlier.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday evening, Rabindra Ghosh was admitted to the state-run SSKM hospital here after he complained of chest pain, hospital sources said.
The 88-year-old lawyer was under observation at the cardiology department, they said.