Bangladeshi Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das’s arrest triggers protests; nearly 20 injured in clashes

Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu, a prominent Bangladeshi Hindu monk & former member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was arrested Monday (Novemer 25) at Dhaka Airport, according to multiple news reports. The arrest has sparked protests across the city, with the Hindu community voicing outrage.

Das had recently expressed concerns over the safety of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh following a regime change earlier this year. His outspoken advocacy for minority rights allegedly led to his arrest.

Protesters gathered at key locations, including the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka, where a group of Hindus blocked traffic late in the evening. Similar protests were reported at the Cheragi Pahar intersection in the port city of Chittagong around 6:00 pm local time. The protesters marched in a procession, demanding the immediate release of Chinmoy Krishna Das.

During the protests near Dhaka's Shahbagh Square and the university area, at least 20 individuals were reported injured, with three in critical condition, as per News18 report.

In a post on social media platform X, Kanchan Gupta, senior advisor to the Indian ministry of information and broadcasting, said: “Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari was charged with sedition after he led a massive rally of Hindus protesting targeted hate attacks and protection from Islamists. (The) tallest leader of the Hindu community is believed to have been taken to the Detective Branch of Yunus Regime."

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has urged India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to intervene after prominent Hindu leader Shri Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu was allegedly abducted by the Detective Branch at Dhaka Airport in Bangladesh. Adhikari, writing on X (formerly Twitter), highlighted that Das Prabhu, a key figure in advocating for the rights of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, had been targeted by the government, which filed a treason case against him. Adhikari expressed concerns over the safety of Das Prabhu and the potential threat posed by the Bangladeshi government, urging Jaishankar to take "urgent steps" in addressing the issue.

The Hindu community in Bangladesh was hit in the chaotic aftermath of a student-led revolution that forced the prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee.

The attacks were condemned by the new caretaker government, and its leader Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.

Hindus are less than a tenth of its 170 million Bangladesh population. Sheikh Hasina fled by helicopter on August 5, and was given shelter by the Indian government. They were targeted because they were perceived to have supported Hasina.

Hasina's toppling lost India its closest ally in the region.

Her 15-year rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.

Those who suffered under Hasina in Bangladesh are openly hostile to India for the abuses committed by her government.

An arrest warrant was issued for the fugitive 77-year-old Hasina, whose last confirmed whereabouts was a military airbase near India's capital New Delhi.

The Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) reported more than 2,000 incidents, including murder and rape, from August 4-20.

Among the many cases were those killed during the August 5 destruction of a museum at the home of Hasina's father, Bangladesh's first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.