Detention of ISKCON Leader Sparks Protests and Outcry in Bangladesh and Beyond
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on Monday urged the Indian government to take immediate steps, seeking the release of prominent Hindu leader and priest, Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was earlier taken into custody by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
Taking to social media platform X, ISKCON said: "We have come across disturbing reports that Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das, one of the prominent leaders of ISKCON Bangladesh, has been detained by the Dhaka police."
"It is outrageous to make baseless allegations that ISKCON has anything to do with terrorism anywhere in the world. ISKCON, Inc. urges the Government of India to take immediate steps, speak to the government of Bangladesh, and convey that we are a peace-loving Bhakti movement."
"We want the Government of Bangladesh to release Chinmoy Krishna Das immediately. Our prayers to Lord Krishna for the protection of these devotees," ISKCON wrote on X.
International Society for Krishna Consciousness, known as ISKCON, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organisation with followers across countries and cultures.
Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson of Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha, and head of Pundarik Dham in Chittagong, was taken into custody by Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Monday as the interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus continues to inflict horrors on the Hindu community of the country.
According to local media, Chinmoy Krishna Das, also known as Krishna Prabhu Das, was taken into custody by the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday at 4:30 pm.
"Additional Commissioner of DB, Rezaul Karim Mallik, confirmed the detention, saying that it was based on a requisition related to a complaint. He mentioned that Chinmoy Krishna Das would be handed over to the related police station. However, the specific details of the complaint against him were not immediately disclosed by the DB official," reported Bangladesh's leading daily 'Dhaka Tribune'.
Chinmoy Krishna Das was not only associated with the Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajot (BJHM), a grand national alliance of 23 religious organisations in the country but also with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
As the news about Chinmoy Krishna Das's arrest spread on social media, several protests broke out in Chittagong, demanding his immediate release.
It was reported that protesters marched and rallied at the Cheragi intersection in the city, chanting slogans and demanding his release.
Several videos that went viral on social media late Monday evening showed Bangladeshi policemen targeting the protestors who were marching towards the Cheragi intersection.
Kanchan Gupta, a Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, posted an image of a Hindu protester soaked in blood after the violent attacks.
"Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari was charged with sedition after he led a massive rally of Hindus protesting targeted hate attacks and demanding protection from Islamists. Tallest leader of the Hindu community, Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari is believed to have been taken to Detective Branch of Yunus Regime," Gupta said in another post on X.
The incidents of vandalism, looting, arson, land grabbing, and threats to leave the country have been repeatedly inflicted on the Hindu community after the interim government was sworn in on August 8 under the leadership of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.
The Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad had earlier sent an 'open letter' to Yunus, expressing "profound sorrow and concern" over a particular group's "unprecedented violence" against the minorities.
Even though Yunus and his religious affairs' advisor A.F.M. Khalid Hossain assured that the current establishment believes in communal harmony, the communal violence, which began immediately after former PM Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, continues to cause widespread fear, anxiety, and uncertainty among the minorities in Bangladesh, especially Hindus.
*Except for the heading, this story has not been edited by The enewstime.in and has been published from IANS feed.
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