NEW DELHI: Two Iskcon priests who were associates of Chinmoy Krishna Das were arrested in Bangladesh on Saturday, Iskcon Kolkata vice president Radharamn Das said amid escalating tensions within the country’s Hindu community.
Speaking to PTI, Radharamn said, “I have received information that two more Iskcon monks have been arrested by police in Bangladesh.”
In a post on X on Friday night, Radharamn Das said, “In the meantime, bad news has come: two devotees who went with prasad for Chinmaya Prabhu were arrested on their way back to the temple, and Chinmaya prabhu’s secretary is also missing. Please pray for them.”
Earlier in the evening, Radharamn Das said that a Hindu priest Shyam Das Prabhu, also an Iskcon member, was arrested in Chattogram just days after the detention of spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das.
Iskcon officials stated that Shyam Das Prabhu was taken into custody without an official warrant while visiting Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was already imprisoned.
Radharamn Das shared the news on social media and said, “Another Brahmachari Sri Shyam Das Prabhu was arrested by Chattogram Police today.”
Radharamn Das also reported that an Iskcon center in Bhairav, Bangladesh, was vandalised. “No respite in sight,” he added, expressing the growing concerns for the safety of Iskcon members in the country.
Earlier this week, Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former member of Iskcon Bangladesh, was arrested on sedition charges and denied bail, further heightening the fears within the community.
In a video shared by Radharamn Das, he discussed the arrests of two other priests, Adipurush Shyam Das and Ranganath Das Brahmachari.
“On November 29, when Adipurush Shyam Das and Ranganath Das Brahmachari were returning after meeting Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu, they were arrested by the police. We are also getting information that the secretary of Chinmoy Krishna Das has also been arrested. Rioters have also vandalised an Iskcon centre in Bangladesh,” Radharamn Das said.
Radharamn Das expressed his helplessness in the face of such repeated incidents, urging Iskcon followers around the world to show solidarity. “Such incidents are not coming to a stop and we are feeling helpless. I urge all followers and devotees across the world to visit their nearest Iskcon temples and pray for the minorities of Bangladesh. God is our last resort…”