Petition to the court in Bangladesh for a ban on ISKCON

Bengali Hindu leader Krishna Das Prabhu shows a victory sign as he is taken away in a police van after the court ordered him detained pending further proceedings in Chattogram in southeastern Bangladesh, Tuesday, November 26, 2024 | Photo credit: AP

A day after the arrest of ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Chittagong, Bangladeshi student leaders have called for the outfit to be banned “immediately”. The comments by top student leaders, who form a key support bloc for the interim government led by Prof. Mohammad Yunus, came on a day when a Bangladesh Supreme Court accepted a petition seeking a ban on the Hindu group.

Mr Das’s arrest continued to arouse strong feelings from India newly elected Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi calling on the government of India to “intervene” and ensure safety and security for the minority community in Bangladesh.

Student coordinators of the public movement that overthrew it Sheikh Hasina The government visited Chittagong on Wednesday in August and participated in a protest rally against ISKCON. “ISKCON is acting as an agent of the Awami League and trying to destabilize the country,” student coordinator Hasnat Abdullah said at the meeting.

They also demanded the arrest of the killers of an assistant public prosecutor who was killed during the clashes that took place while police were arresting Mr Das on Tuesday (Nov 26, 2024).

Meanwhile, authorities have arrested at least six people based on CCTV footage of Tuesday’s (November 26, 2024) violence. Police have described the arrested persons as belonging to the Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League. The Chhatra League was banned by the interim government in October.

In response to the allegations, ISKCON has issued several statements alleging witch-hunting and discrimination. The Vaishnavite organization urged the Bangladesh government to ensure “peaceful coexistence” of religious communities in Bangladesh.

“We express our grave concern and strongly condemn the recent arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das. We also condemn the subsequent violence and attacks against Sanatanis in various regions of Bangladesh,” said Charu Chandra Das, Secretary General of ISKCON Bangladesh. He also alleged that several attacks have taken place on places of worship belonging to the minority Hindu community, against the backdrop of worsening communal tensions in the country.

On Tuesday (November 26, 2024), the Ministry of External Affairs expressed “deep concern” over the arrest and subsequent denial of bail for Chittagong’s Pundarik Dham leader Chinmoy Das. This prompted a sharp response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, which described India’s comments as “contrary” to friendly relations between India and Bangladesh.

However, the matter was taken up by the Congress celebration on Wednesday (November 27, 2024) with Communications Team Chairman Pawan Khera calling on the Government of India to take steps to bring the situation in Bangladesh under control.

“The Indian National Congress expects that the Government of India will persuade the Government of Bangladesh to take necessary steps and ensure the security of lives and property of minorities in the country,” Mr Khera said.

Newly elected Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi described the plight of Bangladesh’s Hindu minority as “extremely worrying” and called on the government of India to “intervene” and “strongly raise the issue” to ensure security of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.