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Amid ongoing tensions between India and Bangladesh over the arrest of former ISKCON saint Chinmoy Krishna Das, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Manish Sisodia and Saurabh Bharadwaj met Vrajendra Nandan Das, Communication Director of ISKCON, in the national capital on Thursday.
Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj told ANI, "ISKCON is known across the world for spreading the message of the Bhagavad Gita, love, and peace. They help people in emergencies. It is inhuman to imprison a priest of ISKCON. I hope the Government of India will talk to the Government of Bangladesh in this regard. It is unfortunate that the central government has remained silent on this issue so far." Manish Sisodia, a senior AAP leader, also expressed concern over the situation in Bangladesh following Chinmoy Das's arrest. "Whatever is happening with ISKCON in Bangladesh is deeply worrying. ISKCON has delivered a message of love and harmony to the entire world--it cannot be a terrorist organisation. These people cannot be radical, and such allegations will not be accepted globally, let alone in India. I urge the Government of India to take all necessary action," Sisodia said to reporters. After the meeting, Vrajendra Nandan Das, Communication Director of ISKCON, dismissed the allegations as "baseless." "...If an institution like ISKCON is called a terrorist and radical organisation in Bangladesh, it is baseless and a lie. No one--in India or around the world--will accept this. Those devotees who organised Bhandara and fed needy people were killed. I hope that the interim government of Bangladesh will take strict action against the culprits, and I expect them to provide proper security to Hindus," he told reporters. Dhaka police arrested Chinmoy Das on November 25, amidst alleged atrocities against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. Das was charged with sedition, prompting a lawyer to file a petition seeking a ban on ISKCON in Bangladesh. The petition, which labelled ISKCON a "radical organisation" allegedly inciting communal unrest, has ignited a fresh political controversy in the country. Recently, a group of retired judges, bureaucrats, and a sitting MP sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to intervene and address the rising violence and discrimination against Hindus in Bangladesh. The letter, dated November 27, called on the Modi-led central government to escalate the issue of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari's arrest to international platforms, including the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and other relevant forums. The arrest has further strained relations between the Bangladesh government and ISKCON, sparking protests and unrest. (ANI)
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