A mob attacked three Hindu temples on Friday BengalProtests and violence broke out in Chittagong after a former Iskcon member was charged with sedition. The incident took place on Harish Chandra Munsef Lane in the port city at 2.30pm (BST) and targeted Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, Shani Temple and Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple.
Temple authorities said bricks thrown by people chanting slogans caused damage to three Hindu religious sites.
Bangladeshi officials reported little damage as the groups clashed and exchanged bricks.
Chinmoy Krishna Das, who has been linked to Bangladesh’s Krishna, was arrested on Monday on sedition charges and was denied bail on Tuesday, sparking protests from members of the Hindu community across Bangladesh. These include Dhaka and Chittagong.
On October 30, authorities filed sedition charges against 19 people, including Das, at the Kotwali police station in Chittagong, accusing them of disrespecting the Bangladesh flag at a Hindu community rally in the New Market area.
Bangladesh freezes accounts of 17 people suspected of being linked to Iskcon
Bangladesh’s Financial Intelligence Unit has ordered the freezing of bank accounts of 17 individuals allegedly linked to Iskcon Bangladesh, including jailed Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, for 30 days.
The directive was issued to banks and organizations on Thursday after the High Court refused to issue a “suo motu” order banning Iskcon from operating in Bangladesh amid Hindu protests over sedition charges against Chinmoy Krishna. ISKCON Bangladesh has distanced itself from Das, saying he was dismissed along with two others for disciplinary violations before his arrest. “All types of transactions in the bank accounts of these individuals (named in the documents) will be suspended for 30 days,” the BFIU order issued under the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2012 said.
The announcement of the account freeze coincided with Bangladeshi Hefazat Islamist group holding street demonstrations in Dhaka, calling for Iskcon to be banned and labeled as a “terrorist armed group”. The religious organization also protested the death of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif during the Chittagong riots, which was reportedly linked to Chinmoy Krishna’s denial of bail. Hefazat supporters claimed that Iskcon members vandalized the mosque and were responsible for advocate Saiful’s murder.
The interim government issued a statement criticizing “the desecration of the national flag and the burning of the effigy of chief adviser Yunus” during the demonstrations in Kolkata.
India urges Bangladesh to ensure safety of Hindus
India expressed concern over the arrest of leaders and denial of bail, urging Bangladesh to ensure protection for Hindus and other minorities.
These incidents have caused diplomatic tensions between the neighboring countries. India on Friday said Bangladesh’s interim government must protect all minorities and expressed serious concern over extremist rhetoric and rising violence against Hindus and temple attacks.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament that India took serious note of violence against minorities in Bangladesh and stressed that Dhaka had a responsibility to protect the rights of all citizens. He further added that the Indian High Commission in Dhaka is closely monitoring the developments.
“Our position on this matter is clear – the interim government in Dhaka must fulfill its responsibility to protect all minority groups. We are concerned about the surge in extremist rhetoric and the increase in violent provocations. These developments cannot be dismissed as mere media exaggeration,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said of the unrest in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh responded on Friday by expressing deep concern over the violent protests at the Deputy High Commission in Kolkata and asking New Delhi to ensure the security of all Bangladeshi diplomatic missions in India.
