Hindu priest Shyam Das Prabhu
| Photo Credit: X/@RadharamnDas

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Kolkata on Saturday (November 30, 2024) said that a Hindu priest Shyam Das Prabhu had been arrested in Bangladesh.

ISCKON Kolkata spokesperson Radharamn Das in a post on X said tha the priest was “arrested by the Chattogram police”.

The development comes days after the Dhaka Metropolitan Police on November 25, 2024 arrested Chinmoy Krishna Das, a Vaishnavite leader and one-time member of ISKCON in Bangladesh. Mr. Das’ arrest prompted protests demandng his release in Dhaka’s Shahbag neighbourhood and Chittagong, where he is based.

Since then, clashes intensified. On November 26, assistant public prosecutor Saiful Islam, the lawyer of Chinmoy Krishna Das, was killed during clashes between the security personnel and followers of the Hindu leader, who was denied bail and sent to jail by a Chittagong court, police said. Based on CCTV footage of the violence, authorities have reportedly arrested at least six people belonging to the Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League which was banned by the government in October.

The same day, a war of words broke out between India and Bangladesh after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) termed the arrest and denial of bail for Mr. Das as “unfortunate” and expressed “deep concern” over incidents targeting minority communities in Bangladesh. The MEA’s statement called upon the interim government of Bangladesh to “ensure safety and security of Hindus and all minorities.”

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari (C) with BJP MLAs during a protest against the arrest of Hindu community leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in Bangladesh, in Kolkata on Tuesday (November 26, 2024).
| Photo Credit: PTI

Demanding the release of the Hindu monk arrested in Bangladesh, Chinmoy Krishna Das, the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (November 26, 2024) held protests outside the State Assembly and announced that party MLAs would lay siege outside the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata on Wednesday (November 27, 2024).

The Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, and other BJP MLAs, held posters demanding the release of the arrested Hindu leader and shouted slogans outside the premises of the State Assembly.

“I have sought time from the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata at 3 p.m. on Wednesday (November 27, 2024). All BJP MLAs will go there. Whether we get any response from them or not, we will stage a march to the Deputy High Commission and gherao it,” Mr. Adhikari said.

The BJP leader added that he would join another march organised by the Hindu Jagaran Manch from Sealdah to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission on Thursday (November 28, 2024).

Mr. Adhikari said that if Mr. Das was not released by Sunday (November 24, 2024), then the BJP MLA from Bongaon would stage a demonstration at the International Check Post at Petrapole along the India-Bangladesh border in North 24 Parganas.

The State BJP unit issued a press statement on Tuesday (November 26, 2024), urging the Bangladesh government to immediately release Mr. Das. “All the false cases against him should be withdrawn, protection should be given to Hindu and Hindu temples in Bangladesh and to ensure that minorities do not flee the country,” the press statement signed by West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which is headquartered at Mayapur in West Bengal, issued a press statement urging “the Government of India to take immediate steps and speak to the Government of Bangladesh” on the issue.

The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement expressed “deep concern” over the arrest and denial of bail to Mr. Das.

Mr. Das, who leads the Pundarik Dham in Chittagong, and is associated with ISKCON in Bangladesh, was arrested in Dhaka on Monday (November 25, 2024). He is also the spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote.

Protests have erupted in the neighbouring country after the arrest of the prominent Hindu monk who is believed to have a large following in Bangladesh.