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ISKCON, Congress seek Modi govt's intervention over attacks on monks in Bangladesh
ISKCON has also urged the United Nations to take note of the situation in Bangladesh and take necessary steps for the immediate release of Chinmoy Krishna Das.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Kolkata has apprised the Centre of the ongoing attacks on their monks and other members of the Hindu Vaishnavite community in Bangladesh.
The arrest of monk Chinmoy Krishna Das marks the latest incident in a series of attacks and threats by Islamists against ISKCON and other Hindu religious groups over the past three months, said ISKCON spokesperson Radharaman Das.
“The arrest and mounting threats by Islamists against ISKCON and other Hindu religious orders like Ramakrishna Mission had been going on for the past three months and Das's arrest was the last instance as of now. The situation is alarming and we have urged the Ministry of External Affairs and the Union Home Ministry to take appropriate steps to save and protect the lives and properties of people under such attacks,” PTI quoted Das as saying.
“We have urged the Centre to prevail upon Bangladesh government so that such incidents stop,” Das, also vice-president of ISKCON Kolkata added.
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He added that ISKCON also urges the United Nations to take note of the situation and take necessary steps for the immediate release of Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was arrested for advocating the safety of minorities in Bangladesh, asserting that they are as much a part of the nation as members of other communities.
“Our monks at several places in Bangladesh had been getting threats of being abducted and getting a lesson of their lives by certain Islamist elements at gatherings in recent times but the authorities there despite being told did not take effective steps to address our concerns,” the ISKCON spokesperson added.
Bangladesh police arrested Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a leader of the Hindu group Sammilita Sanatani Jote, on Monday at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka while he was en route to Chattogram. A Bangladeshi court denied him bail on Tuesday, sending him to prison on sedition charges.
Meanwhile, the Congress on Wednesday issued a statement, saying, “The Indian National Congress expects the government of India to prevail upon the Bangladesh govt to take necessary steps and ensure security of life and property of minorities in the country.”
