“Every minority should be protected,” ISF leader condemns arrest of ISKCON priest in Bangladesh

KOLKATA: Indian Secular Front (ISF) leader and West Bengal MLA Nawsad Siddique condemned the recent arrest of an ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) priest, Chinmoy Krishna Das and the recent petition to ban the organization in Bangladesh.

“We are against what is going on in Bangladesh. We have already sent an e-mail to the Bangladesh High Commissioner in Kolkata, we will also go and meet him, to stop all this,” Siddique told ANI on Wednesday.

Reiterating his stance that every minority across the world should be protected, he added, “This is also not just about Bangladesh, the majority in every country of the world are dominant over the minorities. Every minority, irrespective of caste, creed, or religion, should be protected.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Chief Priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Acharya Satyendra Das also condemned the petition in Bangladesh seeking a ban on ISKCON.

The priest said that such “conspiracies were being orchestrated” to break the Hindu community.

“Their only intention is to somehow torture Hindus and Hindu outfits there. In such a situation, our government should think about it. ISKCON has seers and good people of ideology. It is managed by them…To break Hindus, such conspiracies are being hatched there,” he told ANI.

He further emphasised that unless the Modi government intervenes, the condition of Hindus will be worse in Bangladesh.

A petition was filed by a lawyer demanding a ban on ISKCON in Bangladesh, calling it a “radical organisation” engaging in activities designed to provoke communal unrest, as reported by the local media.

The petition comes after the arrest of a former priest of ISKCON Bangladesh, Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, over sedition charges, which led to protests and unrest in Bangladesh.

Multiple Indian leaders have condemned the arrest of the former priest, with ISKCON Bangladesh also issuing a statement denouncing the arrest of their priest and called upon the government authorities to promote peaceful coexistence.

ISKCON Bangladesh also issued a list of demands to the government for subsequent violence and attacks against Sanatanis in various regions of Bangladesh.

“We express our serious concern and strongly denounce the recent arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson for the “Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jot.” We also condemn the subsequent violence and attacks against Sanatanis in various regions of Bangladesh. We urge the government authorities, to promote peaceful coexistence for the Sanatani community”, the statement said. (ANI)

Also Read: ‘Hindus are very afraid’, Bangladesh ISKCON Gen Secy seek’s India’s help amid unrest