Bangladesh High Court refuses to ban ISKCON: Ousted PM Hasina condemns arrest of Das, seeks his release

PTI, DHAKA/KOLKATA, NOV 28, 2024 : The High Court on Thursday refused to ban ISKCON's activities in Bangladesh, a local newspaper reported days after a lawyer was killed in a clash between security personnel and supporters of a Hindu leader arrested on sedition charges. The lawyer had sought a ban from the High Court on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) after placing some newspaper reports related to the organisation on Wednesday. The court had asked the attorney general to inform it about the steps taken by the government regarding ISKCON's recent activities, according to The Daily Star.

Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was arrested this week, was earlier expelled from ISKCON. His arrest triggered clashes on Tuesday during which Advocate Saiful Islam, an assistant public prosecutor, was killed. When the High Court proceedings started on Thursday, the attorney general's office placed the information sought by the court before the bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury, The Daily Star said.

Additional Attorney General Aneek R. Haque and Deputy Attorney General Asad Uddin informed the HC bench that three separate cases have been filed in connection with the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif and ISKCON's activities, and 33 accused have been arrested in these cases. The bench then hoped that the government would remain cautious about protecting the law and order situation and the lives and properties of the people of Bangladesh, the newspaper added.

India on Tuesday noted with "deep concern" Das' arrest and denial of bail, and urged Dhaka to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all other minority groups. Separately, a group of Supreme Court lawyers sent a legal notice to the Bangladesh government on Wednesday seeking a ban on ISKCON, describing it as a "radical organisation."

The notice, sent by Al Mamun Russell on behalf of 10 lawyers, also demanded prosecution of those responsible for Advocate Islam's murder, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper said, quoting the notice. "ISKCON has been operating in Bangladesh as a radical organisation, engaging in activities designed to provoke communal unrest," the notice alleged. Citing a book by former Bangladeshi intelligence officials, the notice alleges that ISKCON has been promoting religious events "with the intent of inciting sectarian violence," "imposing its beliefs on traditional Hindu communities," and forcibly recruiting members from lower Hindu castes, the newspaper said.

Russell's notice was addressed to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Law and Justice, and the Inspector General of Police, and called for an immediate ban on ISKCON in Bangladesh under the relevant section of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009. Earlier, ISKCON had urged the Bangladesh authorities to promote "peaceful coexistence" for Hindus in the country as it "strongly" denounced Das' arrest.

Meanwhile, deposed Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina on Thursday condemned the arrest of Das and said the spiritual leader must be released immediately. "A top leader of the Sanatan religious community has been unjustly arrested; he must be released immediately," Hasina said in a statement. "A temple has been burnt in Chittagong. Previously, mosques, shrines, churches, monasteries, and homes of the Ahmadiyya community were attacked, vandalised, and looted and set on fire. Religious freedom and security of life and property of people of all communities should be ensured," the former Prime Minister said in the statement posted on Awami League's X account.

In Kolkata, members of Bangiya Hindu Jagaran Manch on Thursday took out a rally to the office of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata, protesting atrocities on the Hindu community and the arrest of the spiritual leader in the neighbouring country. The protesters, marching to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission from Sealdah station, were stopped by the police on their way. Some of the protesters jostled with the police and tried to break through the barricades to move ahead, but were prevented by a large contingent of police force. Police put up barricades to prevent the protesters from reaching near the deputy high commission office at Beckbagan in south Kolkata.

Demanding the release of the jailed Das, a protest kirtan was held at the Albert Road centre of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). "Through the kirtan, we want to give the message to the minorities in Bangladesh that we have not forgotten them and they are in our thoughts," ISKCON spokesperson Radharamn Das said. The participants in the kirtan held placards bearing the slogans "We are not terrorists" and "Protect our temples."