Hindu community leaders on Monday expressed deep concern over recent incidents of misinformation, threats and harassment targeting religious minorities and International Society for Krishna Consciousness Bangladesh.
At a joint press conference organised by several Hindu religious organisations in Dhaka, they urged the government to identify those spreading such disinformation through proper investigation and bring them to justice.
ISKCON general secretary Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari, reading from a written statement, said, 鈥楢 vested group appears to be engaged in a well-planned conspiracy against religious minorities.鈥�
These activities, he said, were being carried out deliberately to disrupt Bangladesh鈥檚 longstanding tradition of religious harmony and social cohesion.
He alleged that violence was being incited through planned rallies and marches on streets and in educational institutions, as well as through leaflets, graffiti, baseless disinformation, and hate speech about ISKCON.
He stated that ISKCON is a non-political religious organisation, alleging that disinformation had been spreading, portraying it as a 鈥榤ilitant and extremist Hindu group鈥�.
Continuous threats to attack religious institutions had also been issued, he added.
Charu Chandra further alleged that religious minorities and ISKCON devotees were facing social harassment, including at their workplaces and in their businesses.聽
He demanded enhanced security for all temples and religious institutions, along with strict monitoring of social media to curb the spread of provocative misinformation.
He also called on the citizens to stand united against such acts and uphold communal harmony.
ISKCON Bangladesh president Satya Ranjan Baroi chaired the event, where Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council president Professor Nim Chandra Bhowmik and its acting general secretary Monindra Kumar Nath were also present.聽聽
