Petition In Bangladesh High Court Seeks Ban On Iskcon, Attorney General Dubs It As ‘Religious Fundamentalist’ Body

Dhaka: The Bangladeshi government on Wednesday called Iskcon or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness a ‘religious fundamentalist organization’ in response to a writ petition filed in the country’s High Court demanding a ban on the outfit, according to reports. The development comes at a time when there are widespread protests in the neighboring country over the arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari and the targeting of Iskcon and other Hindu temples by radical Islamic outfits.

A lawyer filed a petition seeking a ban on Iskcon on Wednesday, reported the India Today. The lawyer also submitted in the court about the death of assistant public prosecutor Saiful Islam during clashes between security personnel and followers of the arrested Hindu monk after the latter’s bail plea was rejected.

The court had sought to know from the Attorney General about Iskcon. The court wanted to know how Iskcon was established in Bangladesh. The Attorney General, Md Asaduzzaman, responded by stating that the outfit was not a political party. “It is a religious fundamentalist organization. The government is already scrutinizing them,” he said, quoted the India Today.

The High Court directed the Attorney General to report the government’s position on Iskcon. The court also sought report on the overall law and order situation of the country by Thursday morning. The court asked the government to ensure that there was no deterioration of the law and order situation.

Earlier, the Attorney General had suggested the removal of the word “secular” from the neighboring country’s Constitution as 90% of the Bangladesh population was Muslim.