Will ISKCON be banned in Bangladesh? Yunus Sarkar told the court that it is a fundamentalist organization.
The case of the arrest of ISKCON leader and Hindu saint Chinmay Krishna Das in Bangladesh is gaining momentum. On Wednesday, a lawyer filed a petition in the High Court demanding a ban on ISKCON.
The lawyer also mentioned before the court the death of public prosecutor Saifullah Islam who was killed in Tuesday's violence and the clash between Chinmoy Das's supporters and security forces.
Bangladesh: Demand to ban ISKCON
In his petition, the lawyer has also presented newspaper articles that contain news of the uproar and violence that took place after the arrest of Chinmay Krishna Das. A petition has been filed before the bench of Justice Farah Mehboob in the High Court demanding a ban on ISKCON.
At the same time, before deciding on any action against ISKCON, the court has sought information from the interim government of Bangladesh by Thursday about what steps they have taken in this matter.
The High Court summoned the Attorney General.
Regarding this petition, the court has also summoned the Attorney General to present the government's side. The court sought information about Iskcon from the Attorney General and asked how it was established in Bangladesh. While presenting the government's side in the court, Bangladesh's Attorney General Mohammad Asaduzzaman said, 'Like the general public, my heart is also crying.'
ISKCON is a fundamentalist organization- AG
The Attorney General has said that the court should not take any decision on the issue of ISKCON at this time because the government has already started taking action. AG Asaduzzaman said that ISKCON is not a political party, it is a religious fundamentalist organization and the interim government has started investigating it.
The High Court has asked the Attorney General to submit a report on the government's action in the ISKCON case and the law and order situation in the country by Thursday morning. The court has also asked the interim government to prevent law and order from deteriorating.
At the same time, this religious group has strongly objected to ISKCON being called a fundamentalist organization in the court. ISKCON's vice president Radharaman Das has said that it is very sad to make such allegations against an organization without any proof.
What is the new uproar in Bangladesh?
In fact, on Tuesday, Chinmay Krishna Das was presented before the court of Chittagong's sixth metropolitan magistrate Kazi Shariful Islam. The court rejected Chinmay Das' bail plea and sent him to jail.
As soon as the news of Chinmay Das' bail plea being rejected was received, a large group of his supporters reached the court and blocked the vehicle carrying Chinmay Das to jail for about 2 to 2.5 hours. It is alleged that the crowd of ISKCON supporters resorted to violence during this time, after which the police used sound grenades to disperse the crowd and then Chinmay Das was taken to jail.
Lawyer killed in violence by ISKCON supporters
Many people were injured in the violence by Chinmay Das's supporters. During this, government lawyer Saifullah Islam Alif was rescued from the lane of Rangam Cinema Hall behind the main entrance of the court and taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead. There are allegations that the protesters dragged lawyer Saifullah Islam to a hall where he was murdered.
Actually, Chinmay Krishna Das is accused of insulting the national flag of Bangladesh during a rally held in Chittagong in the last week of October. On Monday, the police arrested him from Dhaka airport.
The Indian government has expressed concern over his arrest and has also demanded that Bangladesh authorities ensure the rights of Hindus and minorities. The Bangladesh government says that Chinmay Das has been arrested not as a religious leader but for treason.