Protect all minorities, India tells B'desh after arrest of Hindu priest

India on Tuesday expressed "deep concern" over the arrest of prominent Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh, as protests erupted in multiple cities following his detention on sedition charges and one of the lawyers representing him was killed in clashes.

- HTC and Agencies

Das, who heads the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote and has been leading rallies demanding security for the Hindu minority, was arrested at Dhaka airport on Monday while travelling to Chattogram. A magistrate court denied him bail on Tuesday.

"We have noted with deep concern the arrest and denial of bail to Shri Chinmoy Krishna Das," India's ministry of external affairs said in a statement, linking the incident to "multiple attacks on Hindus and other minorities by extremist elements in Bangladesh".

Bangladesh reacted sharply to India's statement, expressing "utter dismay and deep sense of hurt" while maintaining that Das's arrest had been "misconstrued by certain quarters." In a strongly worded press release, the Bangladesh foreign ministry said such "unfounded statements not only misrepresent facts but also stand contrary to the spirit of friendship and understanding between the two neighbouring countries."

The government also defended its record on protecting minorities, citing the "peaceful observance of Durga Puja throughout Bangladesh only last month," while asserting that its judiciary was "fully independent" in handling Das's case.