DHAKA, Dec 7: In the early hours of Saturday, a group of individuals set fire to an ISKCON temple in the Dhaka district of Bangladesh. ISKCON Bangladesh described the location as a “family temple” tied to an ISKCON devotee, while the Kolkata office of the organization reported that the “ISKCON Namhatta Centre” was specifically targeted.
The incident occurred in Dhour village, which is under the jurisdiction of the Turag police station, early on Saturday morning.
An official from the Turag police station stated that efforts were underway to apprehend the perpetrators.
Charu Chandra Das Brahmachary, the general secretary of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Bangladesh, reported that the fire was started after the tin roof was lifted. “Fortunately, the fire was quickly extinguished, but an idol sustained damage and some curtains were burned,” he noted.
Conversely, Radharamn Das, vice president of ISKCON Kolkata, informed PTI that “vandals ignited idols inside the temple at the Namhatta property.”
“The ISKCON Namhatta Centre in Bangladesh was engulfed in flames. The deities of Sri Sri Laxmi Narayan, along with all items within the temple, were completely destroyed.
“The miscreants set fire to the Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple and the Shri Shri Mahabhagya Lakshmi Narayan Temple between 2-3 am, which are part of the Hare Krishna Namhatta Sangha and situated in Dhour village, within Turag Police Station’s jurisdiction in Dhaka district,” Das mentioned in a post on X.
He elaborated that the fire was started by lifting the tin roof at the back of the temple and using petrol or octane, providing the specific address.
Tensions between India and Bangladesh have escalated since the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus took power after deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country on August 5 due to protests led by students.
These relations have further deteriorated in recent weeks, largely due to ongoing attacks on Hindus and the recent arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is a former member of ISKCON Bangladesh and currently represents the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote organization.
ISKCON Kolkata’s vice president also expressed concern regarding Chinmoy Krishna Das’s safety following his denial of bail amidst violent attacks.
Das was arrested on November 25 at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in connection with a sedition case, which sparked demonstrations by his supporters. An assistant government prosecutor, Saiful Islam Alif, was killed during a protest in Chattogram following the monk’s denial of bail on November 26.
The series of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh has ignited protests in India. In response, the Bangladeshi foreign ministry recently summoned the Indian envoy and lodged a complaint regarding the storming of the Bangladeshi mission in Agartala by demonstrators.
Additionally, in Assam, the Barak Valley Hotel and Restaurant Association declared that they would refuse to host any nationals from Bangladesh until the violence against Hindus and other minority groups in the neighboring nation ceases.
Barak Valley, which includes three districts—Cachar, Sribhumi (formerly Karimganj), and Hailakandi—shares a 129-km border with Bangladesh’s Sylhet region. (PTI)
