Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram urges release of two ISKCON monks arrested in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh government has arrested and imprisoned two monks from ISKCON under what appear to be false charges and these actions are reportedly retaliatory as the monks had led protests demanding protection for the lives and property of minority communities, including Hindus, said a release issued by the organisation.

Thiruvanathapuram: The Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram, an RSS affiliated organisation, on Sunday urged the Union Government and international human rights protection agencies including the UN to ensure the release of the Hindu monks arrested by the Bangladesh government.

The Bangladesh government has arrested and imprisoned two monks from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) under what appear to be false charges and these actions are reportedly retaliatory as the monks had led protests demanding protection for the lives and property of minority communities, including Hindus, said a release issued by the organisation.

"The ongoing persecution seems aimed at creating fear among religious minorities, pressuring them to leave the country." "The Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram has called on the Indian government and international human rights organisations, including the United Nations, to intervene for the immediate release of the detained monks," the release stated.

Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday for alleged sedition. He was denied bail and sent to jail by a Chattogram court on Tuesday, triggering protests by his supporters. Later two more monks associated with ISKCON were held.