• BJP MLAs protest arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Das in Bangladesh, demand his release
    Indian Express | 27 November 2024
  • BJP MLAs on Tuesday staged a protest in the West Bengal Assembly complex demanding the release of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, also known as Krishna Prabhu Das, who was arrested in Bangladesh a day before on charges of sedition.

    The case was registered in October after Das, who is associated with the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatan Jagaran Jote group and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was accused of disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag during a rally in Chattogram.

    Appealing to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to “take urgent steps” in the matter, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, who led the protest, wrote on X, “Renowned firebrand Hindu Leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu has been abducted by the Detective Branch at Dhaka Airport in Bangladesh. He is leading the fight for the survival & dignity of the Hindu minorities of Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi Sanatani Community fears that Md Yunus’s “radical” regime may stoop to any level, even eliminating “perceived threats” to its authority. The Bangladesh Government filed a case of treason against (Prabhu).”

    Agnimitra Paul, MLA and BJP general secretary, shared a video threatening to launch an agitation if anything goes wrong with Prabhu. “Before India gained Independence, the percentage of Hindus in Bangladesh was 28 percent. Now it has come down to 7.65 percent. He (Prabhu) was the face of the Hindus’ fight for survival in Bangladesh. The Hindus of Bengal and India will not sit silently. If anything happens to him, we will protest here,” Paul said on day 2 of the Assembly’s winter session.

    BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar also urged Jaishankar via X to take a “serious note” and “urgent steps” on the issue.

    Expressing concern over the issue, the Ministry of External Affairs released a statement: “We have noted with deep concern the arrest and denial of bail to Shri Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is also the spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote. This incident follows the multiple attacks on Hindus and other minorities by extremist elements in Bangladesh. There are several documented cases of arson and looting of minorities’ homes and business establishments, as well as theft, vandalism, and desecration of deities and temples.”

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