A Bangladeshi court has refused bail to a Hindu monk, whose followers were accused of murdering a public prosecutor amid religious tensions in the predominantly Muslim country.
Security officers surrounded the court in Chittagong, the southern port city, after violence broke out following a prior bail hearing.
Das’ lawyer, Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee, denied the sedition accusations on Thursday.
But public prosecutor Raihanul Wajed Chowdhury said they had opposed bail because there was “much more to investigate”.
The prosecution and defense both stated that the court declined the bail application.
The family of Saiful Islam Alif, the lawyer slain in November, has filed two separate charges against those they believe are responsible for his death.
This includes 58 Hindu lawyers charged with vandalism and carrying explosives.
Religious ties in Bangladesh have been tense since a student-led revolt deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year.
New Delhi’s Hindu-nationalist government were key supporters of Hasina, and the 77-year-old has been in exile in India since she fled protesters as they stormed the prime minister’s palace on August 5.
Bangladesh in December requested India send Hasina back to face charges of “massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity”.
