Bangladesh: Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das's mother dies without seeing jailed son
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Dhaka, Sep 10 : Prominent Bangladeshi Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das’s mother died on Thursday with her final wish of seeing her jailed son left unfulfilled, after Bangladeshi authorities denied his family’s plea for parole to visit her during her final days, local media reported.
71-year-old Sandhya Rani Dhar passed away at the Sri Sri Pundarika Dham Ashram in Hathazari upazila of Chittagong district on Thursday morning. She had expressed a desire to visit the ashram herself on Tuesday, where her son had lived for a long time.
She was earlier admitted to a Chittagong hospital after falling ill, where doctors diagnosed her with cancer. However, she did not wish to remain in hospital and wanted to spend the final days of her life at her son’s ashram, Bangladesh’s Bengali newspaper Kalbela reported.
Confirming his mother’s death, Das's brother Anjan Kumar Dhar told Kalbela in a tearful voice, "My mother is gone. My brother could not even see his mother while she was alive."
His other brother Ranjan Kumar Dhar said, "We are now going to Hathazari Upazila Health Complex with our mother's body. From there, we will apply for my brother's release on parole with a medical certificate. Our mother's last rites will be performed at Pundarik Dham in Hathazari."
Citing sources, Kalbela reported that Sandhya Rani Dhar was left mentally shattered by her son’s prolonged incarceration. Her distress was compounded by reports of his illness, repeated denial of bail, and his continued failure to secure release from jail.
While she was hopeful about her son’s release following the latest bail hearing, the denial of bail intensified her worries.
On Wednesday, Das's family sought conditional parole for him to visit his ailing mother, submitting the request to Chittagong Deputy Commissioner and ex-officio President of the Prison Management Committee, Mohammad Zahidul Islam Miah.
However, the administration told the family that there is no provision for granting parole to a prisoner to visit a sick relative, Bangladeshi daily Samakal reported.
Chittagong Additional District Magistrate Syed Mahbubul Haque said, "The family of Chinmoy Krishna Das has applied for conditional temporary release (parole). However, there is no provision for parole to visit someone who is sick. There is a provision for parole if a relative dies. The matter has been communicated verbally to their family."
Ranjan Kumar Dhar said that the family had applied for his brother’s parole to fulfil their mother’s wish to see her son once.
“My mother has wanted to see Chinmoy at least once with her own eyes. To fulfill her wish, we have applied for Chinmoy's release on parole. However, the administration has informed us that there is no possibility of parole in this case,” Samakal quoted Ranjan as saying.
Chinmoy Krishna Das, also the spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jot, remains behind bars despite securing bail in two cases, with his release blocked by two other cases, local media reported.
Das was arrested in Dhaka on November 25, 2024, and sent to jail the following day after a Chattogram court rejected his bail plea. On December 11, the same court again refused bail in the case.
A High Court bench comprising Justice KM Zahid Sarwar and Justice Sheikh Abu Taher granted bail on Sunday after hearing two separate bail petitions filed by Das.
71-year-old Sandhya Rani Dhar passed away at the Sri Sri Pundarika Dham Ashram in Hathazari upazila of Chittagong district on Thursday morning. She had expressed a desire to visit the ashram herself on Tuesday, where her son had lived for a long time.
She was earlier admitted to a Chittagong hospital after falling ill, where doctors diagnosed her with cancer. However, she did not wish to remain in hospital and wanted to spend the final days of her life at her son’s ashram, Bangladesh’s Bengali newspaper Kalbela reported.
Confirming his mother’s death, Das's brother Anjan Kumar Dhar told Kalbela in a tearful voice, "My mother is gone. My brother could not even see his mother while she was alive."
His other brother Ranjan Kumar Dhar said, "We are now going to Hathazari Upazila Health Complex with our mother's body. From there, we will apply for my brother's release on parole with a medical certificate. Our mother's last rites will be performed at Pundarik Dham in Hathazari."
Citing sources, Kalbela reported that Sandhya Rani Dhar was left mentally shattered by her son’s prolonged incarceration. Her distress was compounded by reports of his illness, repeated denial of bail, and his continued failure to secure release from jail.
While she was hopeful about her son’s release following the latest bail hearing, the denial of bail intensified her worries.
On Wednesday, Das's family sought conditional parole for him to visit his ailing mother, submitting the request to Chittagong Deputy Commissioner and ex-officio President of the Prison Management Committee, Mohammad Zahidul Islam Miah.
However, the administration told the family that there is no provision for granting parole to a prisoner to visit a sick relative, Bangladeshi daily Samakal reported.
Chittagong Additional District Magistrate Syed Mahbubul Haque said, "The family of Chinmoy Krishna Das has applied for conditional temporary release (parole). However, there is no provision for parole to visit someone who is sick. There is a provision for parole if a relative dies. The matter has been communicated verbally to their family."
Ranjan Kumar Dhar said that the family had applied for his brother’s parole to fulfil their mother’s wish to see her son once.
“My mother has wanted to see Chinmoy at least once with her own eyes. To fulfill her wish, we have applied for Chinmoy's release on parole. However, the administration has informed us that there is no possibility of parole in this case,” Samakal quoted Ranjan as saying.
Chinmoy Krishna Das, also the spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jot, remains behind bars despite securing bail in two cases, with his release blocked by two other cases, local media reported.
Das was arrested in Dhaka on November 25, 2024, and sent to jail the following day after a Chattogram court rejected his bail plea. On December 11, the same court again refused bail in the case.
A High Court bench comprising Justice KM Zahid Sarwar and Justice Sheikh Abu Taher granted bail on Sunday after hearing two separate bail petitions filed by Das.
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