ISKCON Says Its Centre In Bangladesh Burnt Down, Idols Set Ablaze

Dhaka: There is no end to atrocities against Hindus and other minority communities in Bangladesh.

In the latest attack, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) alleged on Saturday that its centre in Bangladesh capital Dhaka was burnt down and idols set ablaze earlier in the day.

“ISKCON Namhatta Centre burned down in Bangladesh. The deities of Sri Sri Laxmi Narayan and all items inside the temple were burned down completely. The centre is located in Dhaka. Early morning today, between 2-3 AM, miscreants set fire to the Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple and the Shri Shri Mahabhagya Lakshmi Narayan Temple, which fall under the Hare Krishna Namhatta Sangha, located in Dhour village, under the jurisdiction of Turag Police Station, Dhaka district,” Radharamn Das, vice-president of ISKCON’s Kolkata centre, stated in a post on X.

“The fire was initiated by lifting the tin roof at the back of the temple and using petrol or octane. Address: H-02, R-05, Ward-54, DNCC, Dhaka 1230,” he added.

Describing the vandalism as “shocking”, Das told PTI that miscreants threw petrol and set fire on the temple.

He lamented that targeted attacks on members of the community are going on unabated, and despite ISKCON drawing attention of Bangladesh’s interim government, “not much is being done by the police and administration to assuage their grievances and address their concerns.”

Ever since Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus took charge of the interim administration after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina-helmed Awami League government in August, there has been a significant increase in attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, particularly Hindus.

ISKCON has been one of the prime targets, with several of its properties being vandalised and ransacked at various locations across Bangladesh in the last four months.

Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu, who was previously with ISKCON, was arrested on November 25.

Earlier this week, a Bangladesh court deferred a hearing on Chinmoy prabhu’s bail petition to January 2025 as no lawyer was willing to appeared on his behalf.

A petition was also filed asking for ISKCON to be banned in Bangladesh.