The Bangladeshi government on Wednesday called ISKCON or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness a “religious fundamentalist organisation”, in response to a writ petition filed in the High Court seeking a ban on the organisation. The development comes amid widespread protests across Bangladesh over the arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari and the targeting of ISKCON and other Hindu temples by radical Islamic organisations.
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On Wednesday, a lawyer filed a petition demanding a ban on ISKCON. The lawyer also drew the court’s attention to the fact that Assistant Public Prosecutor Saiful Islam had died during a clash between security personnel and followers of a Hindu monk, following which he was denied bail. During the hearing, the court wanted to know from the Attorney General about ISKCON and how it was established in Bangladesh.
In response, the Attorney General, Mohammad Asaduzzaman, said that the organization is not a political party. The Attorney General said, “This is a religious fundamentalist organization. The government is already investigating them.” The High Court directed the Attorney General to report by Thursday morning on the government’s position on ISKCON and the overall law and order situation in the country. The court asked the government to stop the law and order situation from worsening.
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Notably, a few weeks ago the Attorney General had suggested removing the word “secular” from the Constitution, as 90% of the country’s population is Muslim.
‘Hope the situation will improve after Trump’s inauguration’
Responding to the petition, ISKCON vice president Radha Raman Das urged world leaders to speak on the issue and expressed hope that the situation will improve after Donald Trump is sworn in as US President on January 20.
“The situation is out of control. No longer in our control. We will wait for January 20 when Donald Trump takes office. Hopefully things will move forward then,” Das told India Today. The ISKCON leader also expressed surprise at the Attorney General calling it a fundamentalist organisation. He said, “Even during the floods in Bangladesh, we served a lot of people. We were asked why we did it, yet we did it. ISKCON has fed eight billion people around the world. And we got a radical Where is it being called a terrorist organization?
What is the reason for Hindu protests?
Chinmoy Das, formerly a member of ISKCON, was arrested earlier this week for allegedly insulting the national flag during a rally of the Hindu community. His arrest triggered strong protests among the Hindu community, which has faced more than 200 attacks since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5.
The Bangladeshi government has said that Das has been arrested on charges of treason and not as a leader of any community. The arrest of Das, spokesperson of Bangladesh-based Sanatan Jagran Jot, also drew a reaction from India, which described it as extremely worrying. “The incident follows a series of attacks on Hindus and other minorities by extremist elements in Bangladesh,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.
