With Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s recent visit to Dhaka setting the stage for a lowering of tensions between India and Bangladesh over the alleged attacks on minorities and the arrest of Hindu monks, the ISKCON has said that while it hopes for a peaceful solution to the problem, it would rather let the government’s diplomatic channels do their work.
Former ISKCON member Chinmoy Krishna Das’s arrest in Dhaka on November 25 on sedition charges — for allegedly hoisting ISKCON’s saffron flag over the Bangladesh national flag during a rally on October 25 —had strained ties between the two countries and triggered protests in India over a larger “Hindu cause”. Speaking to The Indian Express, Devakinandan Das, Vice-Chairman ISKCON India, said the organisation has been “peacefully and selflessly serving society” around the world for almost 60 years and in Bangladesh particularly for 50 years. “All we are hoping for is that our efforts to serve every member of the Bangladeshi society are recognised by all the stakeholders. We also hope that our temples and members are safe from the threats that are being made by some radicals. All our members there are native residents of Bangladesh, who deeply care for their homeland and wish to see it as a peaceful, prosperous and religiously harmonious society,” Devakinandan Das said.
As for safety of ISKCON centres in Bangladesh, he said, the organisation “would rather let the Indian government’s diplomatic channels do their work”.
ISKCON’s India Country Director and national spokesperson Yudhisthira Govinda Das said the organisation wouldn’t want to be drawn into the Hindu persecution debate or the politics surrounding the arrests. “ISKCON has no political affinity to any political party and has always worked for inter-faith harmony. Our services are open for everyone, irrespective of their caste, ethnicity, gender, religion and nationality. We collaborate on community projects with governments in countries where we are present,” he said.
On the arrest in Dhaka of the former ISKCON member and the protests back home in India, he said, “His rights as a citizen of Bangladesh to peacefully advocate for rights of Hindus and minorities needs to be recognised and protected.”
He, however, was careful about mentioning how many monks are trapped in Bangladesh, saying he needed to “hear the reality from devotees first”. He also emphasised that ISKCON wanted justice “for all minorities, not just Hindus”.
Delhi’s efforts underway
Foreign Secy Vikram Misri met his Bangladesh counterpart on November 9 and discussed the ‘entire gamut of issues’ in bilateral ties. He also conveyed India’s concerns, especially on safety of minorities.
While admitting that the organisation faced challenges from radicals in Bangladesh, he was clear about the Muhammad Yunus government’s efforts to protect ISKCON temples. “The situation is indeed worrisome since many of our members are receiving threats, some of our centres were vandalised. So, we have been appealing to government agencies to ensure the safety of not just our 140 temples and devotees but all the religious minority communities so that an atmosphere of peace and co-existence can be rebuilt in the country. We should also recognise the Bangladesh government’s efforts in providing us security through the army. They immediately showed up and managed the situation but the perpetrators are yet to be arrested,” said Yudhisthira Das.
On the organisation’s activities in Bangladesh, he said, “In the 1970s, when ISKCON was still in its early days, Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of ISKCON, saw the plight of residents in post-war Bangladesh and requested his disciples to help them. That’s how our food-for-life programme, which fed and continues to feed everyone without any discrimination, started. Apart from our centres, we also run schools, old-age homes, orphanages, medical camps and disaster relief efforts… The founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, has in his Stanford Commencement address recollected how during his struggling days he would talk 7 miles for the one good meal at the Hare Krishna temple… Secular-minded professionals have decision-making powers in our organisational hierarchy.”
On the organisation’s work worldwide, he pointed to how, at the COP28 in Abu Dhabi and at COP29 in Baku, ISKCON was invited to present its formula for preventing environmental degradation through case studies of its eco-farms and green temples.
“For young people, we run de-addiction programmes and workshops on stress and lifestyle management,” said Das.
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