Petition in Bangladesh seeks Iskcon ban, government says scrutinising outfit

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 demanding a ban on the outfit. 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 outfits.
On Wednesday, a lawyer filed a petition seeking a ban on Iskcon. The lawyer also brought to the court’s attention the death of assistant public prosecutor Saiful Islam during clashes between security personnel and followers of the Hindu monk after he was denied bail.
During the hearing, the court sought to know from the Attorney General about Iskcon and how it was established in Bangladesh.
In response, the Attorney General, Md Asaduzzaman, said the outfit was not a political party. “It is a religious fundamentalist organisation. The government is already scrutinising them,” the Attorney General said.
The High Court directed the Attorney General to report the government’s position on Iskcon and the overall law and order situation of the country by Thursday morning. The court asked the government to prevent the deterioration of the law and order situation.
Notably, a couple of weeks ago, the Attorney General suggested the removal of the word “secular” from the Constitution as 90% of the country’s population was Muslim.
Chinmoy Das, who was previously a member of Iskcon, was arrested earlier this week for allegedly disrespecting the national flag during a rally of the Hindu community. His arrest triggered vociferous protests from the Hindu community, which has faced over 200 attacks since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5.
The Bangladeshi government has said Das was arrested not as a leader of any community but for sedition.
The arrest of Das, the spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote, also prompted a reaction from India, which called it deeply concerning. “This incident follows the multiple attacks on Hindus and other minorities by extremist elements in Bangladesh,” the MEA stated.