2 more Hindu priests arrested; Tripura, WB hospitals won’t treat Bangla patients

Two more Hindu priests have been arrested in Bangladesh, ISKCON-Kolkata spokesperson Radharaman Das said on Saturday even as hospitals in West Bengal and Tripura refused to treat patients from the neighbouring nation. In another development, nine persons have been arrested...

PTI

Kolkata/Dhaka, Updated At : 08:41 AM Dec 01, 2024 IST

Hindu priest Shyam Das Prabhu arrested by the Bangladesh police. Courtesy: X/@RadharamnDas

In another development, nine persons have been arrested in connection with the killing of a lawyer during violence in Bangladesh’s port city of Chattogram over the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, the police said.

They were arrested after 46 persons were booked for their alleged involvement in the murder of Saiful Islam, who was in his early 30s, during Tuesday’s clashes after Das was denied bail by a Chattogram court. Das, the spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Monday in a sedition case.

Giving details about the arrest of two priests, Radharamn said, “I have received information that two more ISKCON monks have been arrested by the police in Bangladesh. The duo had gone with ‘prasad’ for Das and were arrested on their way back to the temple. Das’ secretary is also missing.”

Das was arrested while en route to Chattogram to attend a rally. He was denied bail and sent to jail by the Chattogram Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

Historically, Hindus made up approximately 22 per cent of Bangladesh’s population during the 1971 Liberation War. The Hindu population, once a substantial demographic in Bangladesh, has experienced a significant decline in recent decades, with the minority community now comprising only around 8 per cent of the country’s total population.

This drop is largely attributed to a combination of socio-political marginalisation, exodus and sporadic violence over the years.

Meanwhile, a multi-specialty private hospital in Tripura capital Agartala on Saturday decided to suspend treatment of Bangladeshi nationals following pressure from a group of protesters.

The ILS Hospital has been a popular destination for patients from the neighbouring country due to its proximity and affordable treatment costs. The hospital’s chief operating officer, Gautam Hazarika, confirmed the decision, saying, “We extend full support to the demand of suspension of treatment to people from Bangladesh at our health facility. Our help desks at Akhaura check post and ILS hospitals have been closed down from today onwards.”

On Friday, a hospital in north Kolkata said it would not treat patients from Bangladesh amid protests over the alleged atrocities on minority Hindus in the neighbouring country.

No systematic attack: Dhaka at UN

UN/Geneva: The arrest of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das has been ‘misconstrued’, Dhaka has told the UN Forum on Minorities Issues, claiming there has been no systematic attack on minorities in the country. “The arrest has been misconstrued, he was actually arrested on specific charges,” Permanent Representative in Geneva Tareq Md Ariful Islam said at forum. PTI

9 held for lawyer’s murder

Dhaka: Nine persons have been arrested over the killing of a lawyer during violence in Chattogram, police said. Assistant public prosecutor Saiful Islam was killed in clashes between police and followers of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das after he was denied bail and sent to jail on Tuesday. A case was filed against 46 persons. PTI