An affidavit submitted before Bangladesh’s High Court describes ISKCON, or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, as a “religious fundamentalist” group. The interim administration, which took control after August’s student-led uprising toppled then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has also stated that it is “examining ISKON.”
This comes amid demonstrations over the arrest of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari on Monday. The Hindu community in Rangpur, 300 kilometers north of Dhaka, demanded stricter legislation to protect them as well as a minority affairs ministry.
Hindus account for around 8% of Bangladesh’s 170 million inhabitants.
Since Ms Hasina’s forced resignation, the new military-backed interim administration, led by Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus, has received criticism for failing to prevent violence against minorities. This includes reports of Hindu businesses and houses being vandalised.
In answer to an inquiry concerning the group’s origins in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Attorney General referred to ISKON as a “religious fundamentalist” organisation.
In response, Mohd. Asaduzzaman allegedly stated, “… it is a religious fundamentalist organization.” The government is already investigating them,” and was instructed to provide a report on the authorities’ response to ISKON as well as the country’s current law-and-order situation.
The arrest of Chinmoy Brahmachari has, again, triggered furious and violent protests in Bangladesh; this morning it emerged that a temple in Chattogram had been vandalised.
ISKCON spokesperson Radharamn Das shared a video on X and wrote, “24×7 attack on Hindus & Hindu places of worship in #Bangladesh. When will it all STOP?”, while the ISKCON’s Bangladesh unit condemned the arrest and the violence against Hindu community members.
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Source: NDTV
