Bangladesh court rejects plea to ban ISKCON: All you need to know

ISKCON Bangladesh wide caput Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari said successful a property league that the organisation was ne'er progressive successful “communal oregon conflict-driven activities”. Das added that Chinmoy was antecedently expelled from the organisation for violating its rules and nary of his activities were connected to ISKCON. Here is what to know.

Who demanded the prohibition connected ISKCON Bangladesh?

Additional Attorney General Aneek R Haque and Deputy Attorney General Asad Uddin informed the High Court (as the apical tribunal is called successful Bangladesh) that 3 abstracted cases person been filed successful this regard.

The Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum connected Thursday besides staged a protestation against the lawyer’s sidesplitting and demanded a prohibition connected ISKCON. The organisation is associated with Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, which led the caller pupil protests successful Bangladesh and played a portion successful the ouster of Hasina earlier this year, called for a prohibition arsenic well.

To recall, Chinmoy is simply a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote. He was arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport connected Monday arsenic helium was astir to alert to Chattogram to articulation a rally advocating for the rights of Hindus successful Bangladesh. He was denied bail and sent to jailhouse by the Chattogram’s Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate tribunal successful a sedition lawsuit connected Tuesday.

Bangladesh Attorney-General Mohammad Asaduzzaman urged the tribunal not to instrumentality immoderate decisions connected the contented and said the authorities was acting connected the matter. ISKCON Bangladesh besides refuted allegations linking the organisation to the lawyer’s death.

What is ISKCON and who founded it?

On its website, ISKCON describes itself arsenic belonging to the “Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradāya, a monotheistic contented wrong the Vedic oregon Hindu culture. Philosophically it is based connected the Sanskrit texts Bhagavad-gītā and the Bhagavat Purana, oregon Srimad Bhagavatam. These are the historical texts of the devotional bhakti yoga tradition, which teaches that the eventual extremity for each surviving beings is to reawaken their emotion for God, oregon Lord Krishna, the “all-attractive one”.”

Also known arsenic the Hare Krishna Movement, it was founded successful New York City successful 1966 by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda (1896-1977). He hailed from Bengal, which led his organisation to yet make a important beingness there, including successful present-day Bangladesh.

ISKCON came up erstwhile counterculture, a rejection of societal norms, was astatine its highest successful the United States during the 1960s. It was besides a play erstwhile the Vietnam War led the younker to criticise the governmental constitution that sought to enlist them into the military, to combat successful a faraway conflict. Other societal movements, specified arsenic civilian rights and feminism, were besides active.

Many young radical successful the West sought transcendental experiences done aggregate routes, from psychedelic drugs to meditation. In this context, Hinduism and Eastern doctrine emerged arsenic charismatic alternatives for many. Renowned American writer Allen Ginsburg was besides 1 of ISKCON’s aboriginal supporters. The Beatles’ subordinate George Harrison is known to person talented a manor location to the Hare Krishna question to found a basal successful the UK.

What activities does ISKCON prosecute in?

ISKCON contiguous has 650 temples successful much than 80 countries, with impermanent houses, vegetarian restaurants (in enactment with its worldview) and different attached facilities. The organisation besides engages successful alleviation enactment astatine times. During the Covid-19 lockdown, it said it fed 5,500 radical successful London, daily.

Its website notes historiographer AL Basham penning of its maturation successful a abbreviated period: “It arose retired of adjacent to thing successful little than 20 years and has go known each implicit the West. This, I feel, is simply a motion of the times and an important information successful the past of the Western world.”

At the aforesaid time, it has been criticised for reports of corporal punishment meted retired to children wrong the organisation, arsenic good arsenic kid enactment maltreatment allegations (particularly successful the ’80s).

How has the Indian authorities reacted?

The Indian authorities has repeatedly raised concerns implicit reports of attacks connected Hindu temples successful Bangladesh, successful the aftermath of the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government. On Tuesday, it expressed “deep concern” implicit Chinmoy’s apprehension and urged Dhaka to guarantee the information of Hindus and different number groups.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee connected Thursday expressed interest but refrained from commenting further. Speaking successful the State Assembly, she said, “Bangladesh is simply a antithetic country. The authorities of India volition look into it. It does not travel nether our jurisdiction. We are not expected to speech astir it oregon interfere. While we consciousness atrocious inside, we travel the policies acceptable by the Centre.” She added that she had spoken with representatives of ISKCON.

(With PTI inputs)