2 more Hindu priests arrested in Bangladesh amid protests

Two more Hindu monks have been arrested in Bangladesh amid a string of targeted attacks on the minority community, Chattogram Metropolitan Police told India Today TV. The development comes amid widespread protests by Hindus across Bangladesh following the arrest of another monk, Chinmoy Krishna Das, earlier this week on sedition charges.
The priests, identified as Rudraproti Kesab Das, and Ranga Nath Syama Sundor Das, were arrested when they went to deliver food, medicine, and money to Chinmoy Das in jail, sources said.
The principal of Probortak Sangha, Swatantra Gauranga Das said, “I learned from a voice recording that two of our members were arrested when they went to deliver food to Chinmoy Krishna at the jail. In the recording, the arrested devotees informed us that `they were apprehended’ by Kotwali police station. Another voice message mentioned that `they were being sent to jail’.”
A Bangladeshi cop said that the priests are being treated as suspects in ongoing investigations, without providing any details about the cases.
There has been a vigorous crack-down on members of the Hindu community since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August. Over 200 temples have also been targeted, as per reports.
This week, Bangladesh authorities ordered the freezing of bank accounts of 17 people associated with Iskcon, including that of Chinmoy Krishna Das.
It coincided with a petition filed in the High Court demanding a ban on Iskcon, with the attorney general calling the outfit a “religious fundamentalist organisation”. However, the court has declined to ban the global organisation.
The attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh have also reverberated across the border, with Kolkata witnessing protests by religious groups outside Bangladesh’s Deputy High Commission.
India, noting the increasing incidents of violence against minorities, has reacted strongly, saying it was the responsibility of the Bangladeshi government to protect the life and liberty of Hindus.
“India has consistently and strongly raised with the Bangladesh government the threats and targeted attacks on Hindus and other minorities. We are concerned about the surge of extremist rhetoric. We call upon Bangladesh to take steps for the protection of minorities,” the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.