Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], December 1 (ANI): ISKCON Bhubaneswar Vice President Tukaram Das on Sunday raised concerns over the safety of minorities and ISKCON devotees in Bangladesh.
“Today, we organised a prayer meeting. The ISKCON Governing Body Commission has instructed our centres worldwide to hold such prayer meetings. We will recite prayers for the peace and prosperity of the world. We are deeply concerned about the situation of our devotees and other minorities in Bangladesh,” Tukaram Das told ANI.
“We request governments across the globe to engage with the Bangladeshi government to resolve the matter peacefully. ISKCON has centres in every district of Odisha. We have over 100 centres, and each is conducting prayer sessions today. We firmly believe that everyone should coexist peacefully and happily,” he added.
ISKCON Kolkata on Saturday alleged that Bangladeshi authorities have arrested two monks, Adipurush Shyam Das and Ranganath Das Brahmachari, along with Chinmoy Krishna Das, the organisation’s secretary.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, ISKCON devotees gathered at the Hare Krishna Temple in Bhadaj, Gujarat, to express solidarity with Hindus in Bangladesh.
“Given the incidents against Hindus and ISKCON devotees in Bangladesh, we have gathered here today at the Hare Krishna Temple in Bhadaj to express our solidarity. We urge the Bangladeshi government to allow Sanatan devotees the freedom to practise their religion,” Shyam Charan Das of the Hare Krishna Temple told ANI.
“ISKCON has always preached peace, compassion, and love through its teachings, which the world has witnessed. This entire incident is condemnable. We are peacefully engaging in Harinam Sankirtan at the Hare Krishna Temple in Bhadaj, Ahmedabad, and we appeal to the Indian central government to intervene. Hindus and minorities in Bangladesh must be protected,” he added.
On Saturday, Radha Raman, Vice President of ISKCON Kolkata, stated that the monks were arrested on Friday by Bangladeshi authorities while returning home after visiting Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was arrested on sedition charges on November 25.
Radha Raman said, “On November 29, while Adipurush Shyam Das and Ranganath Das Brahmachari were returning after meeting Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu, they were arrested by the police. We have also received information that Chinmoy Krishna Das’s secretary has been detained as well,” he said in a self-recorded video.
On Friday, India expressed concern over the rise of “extremist rhetoric, increasing incidents of violence, and provocation” in Bangladesh.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that India has consistently and strongly raised the issue of targeted attacks on Hindus and other minorities with the Bangladeshi government.
During a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal urged Bangladesh’s interim government to ensure the protection of minorities.
Commenting on the situation in Bangladesh, Jaiswal said, “India has consistently and strongly raised with the Bangladeshi government the threats and targeted attacks on Hindus and other minorities. We have made our position very clear regarding the situation of Hindus and minorities in Bangladesh. The interim government must fulfil its responsibility of protecting all minorities.
“We are deeply concerned about the surge in extremist rhetoric, the increasing incidents of violence, and provocation. These developments cannot simply be dismissed as media exaggerations. We once again urge Bangladesh to take all necessary steps to protect minorities and safeguard their interests,” he added. (ANI)
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