Dhaka:

A day after the second Hindu monk, Shyam Das Prabhu, was arrested in Bangladesh, two other disciples of arrested spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das have also gone missing in Chattogram, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Kolkata spokesperson Radharamn Das claimed on Saturday.

Posting the picture of four Hindu priests, Radharamn Das wrote: “Do they look like terrorists? All of them have been arrested by Bangladeshi police without any reason.”

Do they look like terrorists? All of them have been arrested by Bangladeshi police without any reason. #ISKCON #FreeISKCONMonks pic.twitter.com/q60qzDD0Ct

— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) December 1, 2024

He also retweeted a post claiming, “After Chinmoy Krishna Das, two more Hindu saints Ranganath Shyamsunder Das Brahmachari and Rudrapati Keshav Das Brahmachari were arrested from Pundarik Dham by Bangladesh Police.”

While there is no official comment on the arrests or detention of Shyam Das Prabhu and two other ISKCON devotees– who had reportedly gone to deliver food to Chinmoy Krishna Das– sources said that they were detained by authorities without warrant.

Sources said ISKCON Bangladesh stopped some priests heading to India amid reports of at least four Hindu priests being in custody.

Attacks On Minorities In Bangladesh

Meanwhile, reports of attacks on Hindus continue to come from Bangladesh. Earlier today, a journalist, Munni Saha, was taken into custody after she was targeted by radical Islamist forces and surrounded by a mob. Saha was accosted and threatened by a group of radicals in the heart of Dhaka at Karwan Bazar on Saturday evening while leaving her office. She was later released, sources said.

Journalists in the South Asian country have also complained about facing issues with hundreds of accreditations being cancelled amid radical targeting of the minority community in Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh government is also targeting ISKCON, with authorities reportedly ordering that freezing for 30 days the bank accounts of 17 people associated with the organisation, including its former member Chinmoy Krishna Das arrested this week on sedition charges.

Another ISKCON center in Bhairav, Bangladesh, has been vandalized. No respite in sight. #SaveBangladeshiHindus pic.twitter.com/ut7CMRb4mn

— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) November 30, 2024

An ISKCON centre in the Bhairav area of Bangladesh was also vandalized by an angry mob. ISKCON has over 100 centres in Bangladesh, where Hindus comprise approximately 8 per cent of the total 170 million population.

Earlier, three Hindu temples were vandalised by a slogan-shouting mob on Friday in Chattogram, which has witnessed protests and violence since a former ISKCON member Chinmoy Krishna Das was booked.

There are also reports of members of the minority community being attacked by mobs. Sayan Ghosh, a resident of Kolkata, alleges radical elements brutally beat him up during his recent trip to Bangladesh. Mr Ghosh said he was targeted after confirming that he was a Hindu from India. On Saturday night, he returned home through the Gede-Darshan border.

India Concerned

India has conveyed its “serious concern” to Bangladesh over the “increasing incidents of violence” against the minority Hindu community in the neighbouring country. New Delhi has also shared its worry with Dhaka over the “surge in extremist rhetoric”.

The Ministry of External Affairs, in its weekly press briefing, told reporters that India has been in touch with the interim government in Bangladesh on a routine and consistent basis regarding the rising cases of communal incidents targeting the Hindu minority.

There’s also a political consensus and support among parties in India for the Union government to take appropriate action on the matter.

Speaking on the issue, Trinamool Congress National General Secretary, Abhishek Banerjee said, “The images surfacing from Bangladesh are infuriating and make blood boil. I have cleared my stand that you have to follow the Constitution of the country and the state has no role in it. The onus is on the Union government to take it up with the Bangladesh government in the strongest manner or in the language they understand.”

Kolkata:

Two more Hindu priests were arrested in Bangladesh, ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharamn Das claimed on Saturday.

Speaking to PTI, Radharamn Das said, “I have received information that two more ISKCON monks have been arrested by police in Bangladesh.” In a post on X on Friday night, Radharamn Das said, “In the meantime, bad news has come: two devotees who went with prasad for Chinmaya Prabhu were arrested on their way back to the temple, and Chinmaya prabhu’s secretary is also missing. Please pray for them.”

Earlier on Friday, Radharamn had posted, “Another Brahmachari, Sri Shyam Das Prabhu, was arrested by Chattogram Police today.” “Does he look like a terrorist? #FreeISKCONMonks Bangladesh. The arrest of innocent #ISKCON brahmacharis are deeply shocking & disturbing,” Radharamn posted on X on Saturday. His comments comes comes in the backdrop of unconfirmed reports of arrest of three more ISKCON monks, days after the arrest of spiritual leader Chinmay Das.

Chinmaya Das, who also served as a spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday while en route to Chattogram to attend a rally. He was denied bail and sent to jail on Tuesday by the Chattogram Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

Historically, Hindus made up approximately 22 per cent of Bangladesh’s population during the 1971 Liberation War.

The Hindu population, once a substantial demographic in Bangladesh, has experienced a significant decline in recent decades, with the minority community now comprising only around 8 per cent of the country’s total population.

This drop is largely attributed to a combination of socio-political marginalisation, exodus and sporadic violence over the years.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Members of the minority Hindu community hold a protest against violence on minority community in the country, outside Jamuna State Guest House, where Bangladesh interim govt chief Muhammad Yunus is residing, in Dhaka.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Bangladesh’s newly-appointed Home Affairs Ministry adviser has vowed to take swift legal action against those who attack or abuse minorities, stressing that there is no place for violence, conflict, or hatred in the country.

Brigadier General (retd) M. Sakhawat Hussain’s assurance came during a meeting with a delegation from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Bangladesh at his office in the Secretariat on Thursday, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

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Bangladesh saw a spike in violence against members of Hindu communities following the fall of the government led by Sheikh Hasina, who resigned and fled to India on August 5 following massive protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs.

Mr. Hussain emphasised that Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony, where people of all religions have grown up together without any divisions.

He said that no one would be spared if they attacked or abused minorities, and swift legal action would be taken.

He said that there is no place for violence, conflict, or hatred and that the country believes in peace.

During the meeting, Satyaranjan Baroi, president of ISKCON Bangladesh, requested the adviser to take priority measures for the safety of minorities and presented eight proposals for ensuring their safety, including enacting laws, establishing monitoring cells, forming a Minority Commission and providing continuous state security for temples.

The adviser assured his full support for these matters.

The Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance said that the minority community faced attacks and threats in 278 locations across 48 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5 and termed it as an “assault on the Hindu religion.” Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus who is heading the interim government on Tuesday reached out to the distressed Hindu community and urged them to “exercise patience” and assured them that his government would punish those who attacked the minority members.

On Monday, Hossain’s ministry set up a hotline asking people to provide information about attacks on temples, churches or any other religious institutions.