ISKCON Bangladesh Disowns Hindu Priest Chinmayananda Krishnadas Amid Controversy Over Flag Incident

ISKCON Bangladesh has taken a distance from Hindu priest Chinmayananda Krishnadas, following his involvement in a controversy. General secretary of ISKCON Bangladesh, Charu Chandra Das said that the organization does not have anything to do with any statements or activities Chinmayananda has done. He also confirmed that Chinmayananda had recently been expelled from ISKCON.

The controversy started after Chinmayananda Krishna Das was accused of insulting the national flag of Bangladesh during a rally in the last week of October. The incident has caused widespread unrest, with supporters of the Hindu priest staging violent protests outside the court following his arrest. These protests led to the death of a government lawyer. This event intensified pressure from extremist groups, particularly Jamaat-e-Islami, who called for action against ISKCON.

Despite these appeals, Bangladesh's High Court dismissed the demand to ban ISKCON but the organization remains under scrutiny. Meanwhile, sources claim that extremist groups like Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) have been targeting the Hindu community in Bangladesh, especially after the rise of the interim government.

ABT is an Islamic extremist group that operates on the same lines as ISIS and has been involved in a number of acts of terror in Bangladesh, including targeting Hindus and Hindu temples. The group has also been linked to Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI.