Police in Bangladesh have used tear gas against Hindus protesting against the arrest of a religious leader as neighbouring India called for ensuring the safety of Hindus and minorities in the Muslim-majority nation.

Chinmoy Krishna Das, also known as Krishna Das Prabhu, was arrested at Dhaka airport on Monday on charges including sedition. A court in the port city of Chittagong on Tuesday denied bail to the priest associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), widely known as the Hare Krishna movement.

According to the city’s police, more than 2,000 supporters surrounded the van and blocked its path for some time when Das was being escorted back to prison from court.

The demonstrators threw bricks at the police and officers fired tear gas to disperse the crowds, said Chittagong Metropolitan Police Commissioner Hasib Aziz, who added no one was seriously hurt.