Hindu priest Shyam Das Prabhu was arrested on Friday in Bangladesh, according to Radharamn Das, a spokesperson for ISKCON Kolkata. His arrest follows widespread protests over the detention of another priest, Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is accused of sedition and was denied bail earlier this week.
Radharamn shared Shyam Das’s photo on the social media platform X, saying, “Does he look like a terrorist? FreeISKCONMonks.” He mentioned that the arrest of innocent ISKCON monks is very shocking and disturbing.
In the past few weeks, there have been many protests in both Bangladesh and India, calling for the release of Chinmoy Krishna Das. The Indian government has also expressed serious concern about the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh.
Hindus make up about 8% of Bangladesh’s 170 million people. Since August 5, when the Awami League government changed, there have been over 200 attacks on Hindus across 50 districts.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu group in India, condemned what they called “atrocities” against Hindus in Bangladesh. They criticized the current government for not taking action and called for Chinmoy Das’s release.
On the other hand, the Bangladeshi government insists that Hindus are safe and that there is no threat to minorities. Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor, stated that they are committed to ensuring a fair trial for Chinmoy Das.
