Hefazat-e-Islam supporters stage a protest after Friday prayers at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, demanding a right away ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. File
| Photo Credit: AP
Bangladesh’s main political events have called for calm following widespread unrest in the country triggered by the killing of a lawyer throughout clashes between Hindu protesters and safety forces.
Public prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif died Tuesday as offended supporters of outspoken Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari — arrested for allegedly disrespecting the Bangladeshi flag throughout a rally — battled with police when he was denied bail.
Religious relations have been turbulent within the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million folks since a student-led revolution in August toppled autocratic ex-premier minister Sheikh Hasina, who then fled to neighbouring India.
The Bangladeshi National Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami — Hasina’s two important opponents throughout her 15-year tenure — have urged restraint.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was quoted Friday by the every day Prothom Alo as having stated {that a} « defeated fascist group » was behind the most recent flare-up, a reference to Hasina’s Awami League.
« This incident is completely unwarranted, » he instructed the newspaper. « We strongly condemn it and urge everyone to approach the situation calmly. »
Shafiqur Rahman of Jemaat blamed the continuing unrest on a « vested group plotting to destabilise the country ».
Also Read: ISKCON welcomes remarks by Bangladesh on no ban; continues protests demanding release of monk
Street protests have nonetheless been referred to as to demand a ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a transnational Hindu spiritual group also referred to as the Hare Krishna motion that Das reportedly belonged to.
Hefazat-e-Islam, a collective of Islamic seminaries, held a rally Friday to demand the group’s prohibition, alleging it was a entrance to return Hasina to energy on behalf of India, her ousted authorities’s greatest benefactor.
« There is a meticulously designed plan to instigate communal riots in Bangladesh and ISKCON is here to implement it on behalf of India and Sheikh Hasina, » Mamunul Haque of Hefazat-e-Islam instructed supporters in the course of the rally.
Desecrating nationwide flag
On Thursday, demonstrators in Kolkata tried to interrupt via boundaries outdoors the Bangladeshi consulate, protesting alleged atrocities in opposition to Hindus within the nation and Das’s arrest.
Representatives of the protesters had been allowed to enter the constructing to submit a requirement for the Hindu chief’s unconditional launch.
Bangladesh authorities stated in an announcement Friday that the protesters in Kolkata set hearth to the nation’s nationwide flag and burned an effigy of its interim chief.
The authorities « strongly condemns the deplorable act of desecrating the national flag and the burning of the effigy » of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus by a Hindu group Bongio Hindu Jagran, it stated.
Hasina additionally demanded Das’s « immediate release » from custody earlier this week and referred to as his arrest « illegal », BBC reported. The ex-premier additionally condemned the killing of the lawyer, calling it a « blatant violation of human rights ».
India has described Das’s arrest and denial of bail as « unfortunate ». But ISKCON denies any connections to Das.
« We expelled Chinmoy long before the case was filed against him for breaching ISKCON’s discipline, » the group’s Bangladesh president Satya Ranjan Barai instructed AFP on Friday.
« He was relieved of his duties, but he defied the order and continued his activities. » Bangladesh’s high courtroom on Thursday dismissed a petition calling for a ban on ISKCON.
« Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians… believe in coexistence, and this harmony will not be broken, » the courtroom dominated.
Published – November 30, 2024 03:00 am IST
Content Source: www.thehindu.com