Amid growing unrest in Bangladesh over the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, another ISKCON monk, Sri Shyam Das Prabhu, was detained by Chattogram Police on Friday, according to Radharamn Das, spokesperson for ISKCON Kolkata.
The monk had reportedly gone to visit Chinmoy Krishna Das in jail when he was arrested. Sources told NDTV that Shyam Das Prabhu was detained without an official warrant, which is a practice in Bangladesh that allows authorities to hold individuals temporarily before potentially releasing them later.
Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former ISKCON member, was arrested earlier this week on sedition charges.
Radharamn Das, Vice President of ISKCON Kolkata, took to the microblogging site X to report that "Brahmachari Sri Shyam Das Prabhu was arrested by Chattogram Police today."
In another post Radharamn Das shared a photo of Sri Shyam Das Prabhu with the caption, "Does he look like a terrorist? #FreeISKCONMonks Bangladesh." The arrest of innocent #ISKCON brahmacharis are deeply shocking & disturbing."
He strongly condemned the arrest, calling it deeply disturbing, especially as demands have been intensifying in Bangladesh and India, demanding the release of Chinmoy Krishna Das.
In response to the growing international concern, Bangladesh’s government has assured that Hindus are safeand Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus' press secretary, Shafikul Islam, clarified that the government would ensure a fair trial for Chinmoy Das.
Earlier in the day, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), had condemned the treatment of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. The RSS has also called on the Indian government to take stronger steps to address these concerns. The Sangh slammed the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government for remaining a "mute spectator".
Bangladesh’s Hindu minority, comprising about 8% of the population, has faced growing incidents of violence, with more than 200 attacks reported across 50 districts since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5.