More than 100 temples around the world, crores of devotees… Why is ISKCON always targeted in Bangladesh?

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is in the news. The reason is the arrest of its biggest face Chinmay Krishna Das Brahmachari in the neighboring country Bangladesh. Chinmay Krishna Das was arrested on Monday. He was arrested when he was going from Dhaka to Chittagong. Hindus are angry after the action of the Bangladeshi police. They are protesting against the action. Hundreds of people are protesting on the streets.

India has expressed concern over the arrest of Chinmay Das. The Ministry of External Affairs has said that we are concerned about the arrest of Chinmay Krishna Das. This incident has happened after several attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. The Ministry of External Affairs also expressed concern over the attacks on minorities who are peacefully protesting against the arrest of Das.

What are the allegations against Chinmay Das?

Chinmay Krishna Das has been a vocal voice for the protection of the rights of Hindus in Bangladesh. He is accused of speaking against the government and advocating minority rights. On October 30, a case was registered against 19 people including Chinmay Das at the Kotwali police station in Chittagong. He was accused of insulting the national flag of Bangladesh in the New Market area of ​​​​Chittagong during a rally of the Hindu community.

Chinmay Das has been the biggest face of Hindus along with ISKCON in Bangladesh. He promoted and propagated ISKCON a lot there. All this is happening when the population of Hindus in Bangladesh is decreasing. At such a time, Mohammad Yunus is not happy with ISKCON making Bangladeshi Hindus aware. Ever since he came to power, attacks on Hindus have increased. ISKCON is especially on his target. There is also a demand for a ban on it.

Know ISKCON

ISKCON is an organization that makes people aware of Lord Krishna. It works to spread the message of Bhagavad Gita to every home. Swami Srila Prabhupada founded it on July 11, 1966. It has more than 10 lakh followers worldwide. Among the common people, it is known as the temple of Hare Krishna Hare Ram.

Not only in India, it has temples in countries like America, Russia, Britain, and Pakistan. In total, ISKCON has 108 temples all over the world. It also has many centers. If we talk about Bangladesh alone, it has temples in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rangpur, Khulna, Barishal, and Mymensingh.

Why is ISKCON targeted in Bangladesh?

ISKCON has temples not only in Bangladesh but also in Pakistan. But it is not as much of a target in Pakistan as it is in Bangladesh. At one time, Hindus constituted about 20% of Bangladesh's population, but now their number has come down to less than 9%. For decades, they have been getting the support of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party, but as soon as the power changed, bad days started for Hindus.

Community leaders claim that minorities in Bangladesh are always easy targets of miscreants and rioters. According to a BBC report, there were at least 3,679 attacks on the Hindu community between January 2013 and September 2021.

After Hasina's ouster from power, Hindus are facing a serious situation. The interim government led by Yunus has failed to stop attacks on minorities as well as workers of Hasina's party. Recently, a demand was also raised to declare Bangladesh an Islamic state. The country's Attorney General MD Asaduzzaman had said in court that socialism and secularism do not reflect the realities of a country where 90% of the population is Muslim.

ISKCON and Chinmay Das have been raising the issue of action against Hindus in Bangladesh. ISKCON has been accused of interfering in the politics of Bangladesh. Apart from this, it has also been said that ISKCON is creating a narrative that Hindus are unsafe in Bangladesh.

The popularity of ISKCON has been increasing continuously in Bangladesh. Its followers are increasing here. ISKCON takes part in many Hindu festivals with great enthusiasm. Especially in Janmashtami. It also provides food to the needy. The Yunus government does not like this promotion and propagation of ISKCON and is taking action against it in frustration.