In yet another move exposing the Hinduphobic character of post-Hasina Bangladesh, an affidavit has been filed in the High Court calling ISKCON a “religious fundamentalist” group. Bangladesh government has said that it is “examining ISKCON”. In addition to calling ISKCON a “religious fundamentalist” group, Attorney General Muhammad Asaduzzaman accused ISKCON and its supporters of attempting to “destabilise” Bangladesh. Supreme Court lawyer Moniruzzaman is reported to have sought court directions to impose a state of emergency in Chattogram and Rangpur.
“There are attempts to destabilize the country…The government is addressing the situation by…..initiating dialogue with political parties on recent developments,” Asaduzzaman told a bench comprising Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury, adding that the Muhammad Yunus-led government is scrutinising the religious organisation. Asaduzaman said this during a court hearing on ISKCON.
#BREAKING: Bangladesh Government has started investigating ISKCON as a religious fundamentalist organization, according to Bangladesh Attorney General and senior Supreme Court lawyer, Md. Asaduzzaman.
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) November 27, 2024
On Wednesday (November 27), during a court hearing on ISKCON, the Attorney…
The High Court is reported to have directed the government to clarify its position on ISKCON by Thursday morning after reviewing the current law-and-order situation in the country. The court also directed that steps be taken to ensure the ISKCON issue does not deteriorate the law-and-order situation in Bangladesh.
This comes amidst widespread outrage over the arrest of ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das on Monday over multiple charges, including sedition. On Tuesday, a massive protest erupted after Das was denied bail.
The Indian External Affairs Ministry urged the government of Bangladesh to ensure the safety and security of Hindus, however, the Bangladeshi government ‘refuted’ India’s statement regarding the arrest of ISKCON priest Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das. Even as the Bangladeshi government is ‘refuting’ India’s concerns over rampant anti-Hindu violence and attacks on Hindu temples, such attacks continue unchecked.
Unabated persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh
It is notable to mention that the interim government in Bangladesh has opened a front against ISKCON, perhaps because it is a Hindu organisation and in the wake of the ongoing persecution of Hindus in the Muslim-majority nation. Ever since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, Hindus in Bangladesh have been at the receiving end of Islamic wrath, with their shops, temples, and houses attacked by fundamentalists who seek to purge the country of its non-Muslim minorities.
Earlier this week, ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, a prominent Hindu leader championing the cause of minority rights, was arrested after he participated in a protest calling for safeguards for the rights of minorities living in Bangladesh.
On Friday (22nd November), a frenzied Muslim mob attacked Hindus who were en route to the Mahiganj College ground in the Rangpur division of Bangladesh. The victims wanted to participate in a protest rally organised by the ‘Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatani Jagran Jot’, seeking the implementation of 8 demands by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government. Similar such attacks against Hindus have taken place in different parts of the country, underscoring threats faced by minorities in a country where Islamists appear to have established their stranglehold.
Muhammad Yunus-led government releases Al-Qaeda-inspired terror outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team chief Mufti Jashimuddin Rahmani
Even as the Yunus government is acting against the Hindu organisation, it had on 18th August, released the chief of the Al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist organisation Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) chief Mufti Jashimuddin Rahamani from Kashimpur High-Security Central Jail in Gazipur. Speaking to the media, Subrata Kumar Bala, senior jail superintendent of Kashimpur Jail said, “We released Rahmani around 1:15 pm on Sunday as he obtained bail in all cases filed against him.”
