Bangladeshi Hindu Monk Detained, Protesters Demanding Release Targeted; Over 20 Hurt

Last Updated:November 25, 2024, 23:52 IST

Krishna Das Prabhu, a prominent Hindu leader, was detained at Dhaka airport and taken to an undisclosed location.

Several FIRs were filed against Bangladeshi Hindu religious leader Krishna Das Prabhu, recently detained and barred from leaving Bangladesh. (IMAGE: X/@Shebeshivi)

Bangladeshi Hindu religious leader Krishna Das Prabhu was detained at Dhaka Airport on Monday by the nation’s authorities and was barred from leaving the country and taken to an undisclosed location, CNN-News18 has learned.

Hindu rights advocacy and civil society groups in Bangladesh started protesting towards evening in Dhaka, Chittagong and other major cities demanding his release but were met with violence in certain protest sites.

Sources told CNN-News18 that at least 20 people were injured in the protests near Dhaka’s Shahbag Square and university area. Three of those injured were in critical condition.

Sources have told CNN-News18 that “few FIRs and investigations were pending" against the Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) monk who has expressed concern over attacks on Hindus and other minorities following a regime change in Bangladesh earlier this year.

Indian lawmakers and a senior official expressed concern over his arrest and said it was tactics deployed by Muhammad Yunus-led interim government attacking Hindus.

Kanchan Gupta, senior advisor to the Indian ministry of information and broadcasting, said Krishna Das Prabhu, aka Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari is a Hindu leader and a member of the Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

Gupta in a social media post claimed that Krishna Das was arrested by the interim government led by Nobel laureate and economist Muhammad Yunus.

“Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari was charged with sedition after he led a massive rally of Hindus protesting targeted hate attacks and protection from Islamists. (The) tallest leader of the Hindu community is believed to have been taken to the Detective Branch of Yunus Regime," Gupta said in a social media post on X.

Trinamool Congress leader Suvendu Adhikari urged External affairs minister S Jaishankar to take note of the matter and take “urgent steps".

“Shri Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu has been abducted by the Detective Branch at Dhaka Airport in Bangladesh. He is leading the fight for the survival and dignity of Hindu minorities of Bangladesh," Adhikari said in a post on X.

“The Bangladeshi Sanatani Community fear that Md Yunus’s ‘Radical’ Regime may stoop to any level, even eliminate ‘perceived threats’ to its authority," he further added, while sharing a video of the ISKCON saint.

Protesters Face Violence

Hindu groups in Bangladesh claim that the ISKCON leader was arrested. Sources said that the monk was detained by the Detective Branch (DB) of Bangladesh.

Devotees quickly organised nationwide protest marches in response to the arrest of Chinmoy Prabhu Das.

Rallies were taken out in capital Dhaka and major cities like Chittagong, Barisal, and Khulna, with participants demanding his release.

In Dhaka, ISKCON devotees are gathering at the Detective Branch office as well to demand his release from detention.

Protesters in Dhaka blocked a major street in Shahbag Square, chanting slogans such as “We will die for justice, we will fight for it," in their demand for Chinmoy Prabhu’s immediate release.

Taslima Nasreen, renowned Bangladeshi author and an outspoken critic of religious fundamentalism, also shared a video of a protest in Chittagong.

In a separate social media post, she lashed out at the Yunus-led interim government for failing to protect Hindus and not taking action against miscreants involved in disturbing peace and attacking minorities.

(with inputs from Manoj Gupta, Sidhant Mishra and Kamalika Sengupta)

Dhaka, Bangladesh

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