Promote ‘peaceful coexistence’ for Hindus: ISKCON urges Bangla govt

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has urged the Bangladesh authorities to promote “peaceful coexistence” for Hindus in the country as it “strongly” denounced the recent arrest of the prominent community leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari.

Das was arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday as he was about to fly to Chattogram to join a rally. He was denied bail and sent to jail by the Chattogram’s Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate court in a sedition case on Tuesday.

In a statement on Tuesday, ISKCON Bangladesh General Secretary Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari said, “We express our serious concern and strongly denounce the recent arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das... 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,” he said.

Underlining that Bangladesh is “our birthplace and ancestral home”, the statement urged the interim government of Bangladesh led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus “to ensure justice for all and to allow every citizen to practice their religion freely in accordance with their beliefs.”