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ISKCON Kolkata’s Vice-President and spokesperson Radharaman Das shared the picture of the young priest and claimed that he has been arrested.
Priest Shyam Das Prabhu (Image: X/ @RadharamnDas)
Days after the arrest of spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, another Hindu priest was allegedly arrested in Bangladesh’s Chattogram on Saturday. The priest, identified as Shyam Das Prabhu, reportedly went to meet Chinmoy Das in jail.
International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Kolkata’s Vice-President and spokesperson Radharaman Das shared the picture of the young priest and claimed that he has been arrested.
“Does he look like a terrorist? #FreeISKCONMonks Bangladesh. The arrest of innocent #ISKCON brahmacharis are deeply shocking & disturbing,” he said in the X post.
The arrest of Prabhu came days after former ISKCON monk and a popular face of Hindu minorities protest in Bangladesh, Chinmoy Das was arrested and sent to jail on the charges of sedition. The arrest triggered widespread violent clashes in Bangladesh. A public-prosecutor was killed and several others were injured on Tuesday in clashes between police and supporters of Hindu leader erupted after the latter was denied bail and sent to jail by a Chittagong Court.
The clashes erupted when angry supporters surrounded a prison van carrying Chinmoy. Protesters hurled rocks, prompting security forces to use stun grenades and baton charges to disperse the crowd. The Hindu monk was eventually transferred to prison in a police vehicle.
The former ISKCON monk, associated with the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatan Jagaran Jote group, was arrested on Monday at the Dhaka airport. His organisation has been vocal in calling for protections for the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, on Friday, an unprovoked mob vandalised three Hindu temples in Chattogram and shouted anti-Hindu and anti-ISKCON slogans. The three temples that were a target of the attack included Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, Shoni Temple, and Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple, news portal BDNews24.com reported.
A mob of several hundred people shouted slogans and threw brickbats at the temples which damaged the Shoni Temple and the gates of the other two temples, according to the temple authorities, as per the local media reports. Kotwali Police Station chief Abdul Karim confirmed the attack, saying that assailants attempted to damage the temples.
The local authorities have ordered to freeze the bank accounts for 30 days of 17 people linked to ISKCON, including Chinmoy Krishna Das, local media reported. The order to freeze the bank accounts was issued by Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) to various banks and financial institutions on Thursday, according to newspaper Prothom Alo.
“All types of transactions in the bank accounts of these individuals will remain suspended for 30 days,” the BFIU order said.
India on Friday urged the interim government of Bangladesh to fulfill its responsibility of safeguarding all minorities, expressing deep concern over the growing wave of extremist rhetoric and the rising incidents of violence in the neighboring country. However, Bangladesh responded to India’s concerns claiming that India followed “double standards” on the protection of minorities.
- Location :
Dhaka, Bangladesh
