Guwahati, Nov 25: The detention of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a prominent leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), at Dhaka Airport on Monday has drawn widespread condemnation from the New Delhi-based think tank Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG).
Brahmachari was reportedly barred from leaving the country and taken to an undisclosed location, an action RRAG describes as part of a broader suppression of religious minorities in Bangladesh.
On October 30, a sedition case was filed at the Kotwali police station, Chittagong, accusing 19 individuals, including ISKCON leaders and members of the Hindu Jagran Manch, of allegedly hoisting a saffron flag over Bangladesh’s national flag during an incident at the New Market intersection on October 25.
Among those charged are: Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari (38) – ISKCON’s Chittagong divisional organizing secretary; Leela Raj Das Brahmachari (48) – Principal of the Prabartak ISKCON temple; Ajay Dutta (34) – Coordinator of Hindu Jagran Manch’s Chittagong division AND 16 others, including prominent figures and several unidentified individuals.
Rrag DIRECTOR Suhas Chandra Chakma strongly criticized the detention and sedition charges, labelling them as a tactic to silence Hindu minorities and curb their rights to freedom of association and assembly.
Chakma linked the incident to similar patterns of suppression under Dr. Mohammed Yunus’s government, which has allegedly targeted religious and ethnic minorities:
He highlighted a violent crackdown in September in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) where tribal protests led to the deaths of four individuals, over 70 injuries, and the burning of houses and businesses.
Yunus has faced additional criticism for using sedition laws against critics, including a case on October 9 against Tapashee Tabassum Urmi, a suspended Assistant Commissioner, for allegedly making negative comments about him.
The RRAG pointed out that since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024, there have been over 2,000 reported cases of attacks on religious minorities.
Yunus’s government has attributed these attacks to political affiliations with the Awami League, further exposing minorities to violence without thorough investigations.
The RRAG has demanded the immediate release of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari and urged international attention to the increasing vulnerability of religious minorities in Bangladesh.
Chakma emphasized the need to protect minorities’ rights and prevent the misuse of sedition laws to stifle dissent.
