A group of Jahangirnagar University students at a rally on Friday demanded the ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, accusing the group of involvement in the recent alleged abduction of an imam in Gazipur and the rape of Muslim women.
The students began the demonstration at the Battala area on the campus at Savar in Dhaka, with banners and chanted slogans such as ‘ban ISKCON’.Â
Speakers at the rally alleged that ISKCON members were involved in the disappearance of Maulana Mohibullah from Tongi, the rape of a 13-year-old Muslim girl, and past incidents, including the killing of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif in Chattogram and the alleged desecration of Islam by a BUET student named Sreeshanto Roy.
They called ISKCON a ‘fascist tool’ and a ‘threat to Bangladesh’s sovereignty’.
JU Central Students Union environment and nature conservation affairs secretary and Islami Chhatra Shibir JU branch skill development secretary Shafayet Mir said that the series of abductions, assaults and ‘anti-Islamic activities’ had sparked growing alarm in society.
‘The abduction of the mosque khatib at Tongi is not an isolated case; it’s a deliberate attempt to provoke religious unrest,’ Safayet said, adding that if the state and law enforcement failed to ensure justice, students would be forced to launch a countrywide movement.
Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad hall students’ union vice-president Sifatullah said, ‘If the government does not act now, these extremist groups will continue targeting imams and preachers.’
‘We demand an immediate ban on ISKCON,’ he added.
Anjum Shahriar, a student from the government and politics department, criticised the authorities for inaction, saying, ‘Our mothers and sisters are being assaulted; our imams are being abducted; yet police statements blame the victims.’
He also warned the interim government not to test their patience, mentioning, ‘We will not tolerate any conspiracy that threatens our faith or national sovereignty.’
