ISKCON centre vandalised, two more priests detained in Bangladesh amid unrest

Amid rising attacks on minority communities, Bangladesh authorities have detained two more monks associated with the Hindu spiritual organisation International Society for Krishna Consciousness, known as ISKCON. Radharaman Das, a spokesperson for ISKCON Kolkata, claimed Saturday (Nov 30) that a centre of the Hindu group was also vandalised by a mob. This comes days after Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das was detained earlier under sedition charges.

The two ISKCON priests have been identified as Rudraproti Kesab Das and Ranga Nath Syama Sundor Das and were detained as they went to meet Chinmoy in jail. Calling their detention deeply shocking, Radharaman called for their immediate release in a post on X.

"Does he look like a terrorist? The arrest of innocent Iskcon brahmacharis is deeply shocking and disturbing," Radharaman Das posted with the hashtag "FreeISKCONMonks Bangladesh". The spokesperson also posted a video showing a mob vandalising an ISKCON centre, with the caption: "No respite in sight". Bangladesh authorities are yet to confirm the detention of the young priest.

This comes amidst a string of attacks on the Hindu community and their places of worship. On Friday, media reported that three Hindu temples in Bangladesh’s Chattogram—Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, Shoni Temple, and Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple—came under attack from a mob shouting anti-Hindu and anti-ISKCON slogans.

Indian political leaders have been raising concerns over the arrest of the Hindu monk and rising attacks on the Hindu community in the country.

Also read: Bangladesh freezes 17 bank accounts linked to ISKCON amid rising attacks on Hindus

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh authorities ordered the freezing of at least 17 bank accounts related to ISKCON. The move came in response to violent protests that erupted after the detention of Chinmoy, who has been accused by the authorities of killing an advocate. ISKCON Bangladesh has vehemently denied these claims, dubbed as baseless and fabricated by the group.

Subsequently, a plea was filed in the Bangladesh High Court to impose a ban on the Hindu group but was rejected.

Bangladesh’s unelected interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, argued in the court that the ISKCON was a fundamentalist organisation.

(With inputs from agencies)