International
oi-Prakash KL
Former
Bangladesh
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
has
strongly
condemned
the
killing
of
a
lawyer
and
the
violent
clashes
that
erupted
following
the
arrest
of
ISKCON
monk
Chinmoy
Krishna
Das.
In
her
statement,
she
criticized
the
government
for
its
handling
of
the
situation
and
called
for
the
immediate
release
of
the
prominent
Hindu
leader.
“A
lawyer
was
killed,
and
several
others
were
injured
during
violent
clashes
at
the
Chittagong
court
premises
following
the
arrest
of
ISKCON
monk
Chinmoy
Krishna
Das,” she
said.
“Reports
indicate
that
protesters
clashed
with
lawyers
and
law
enforcement
officials,
leading
to
the
monk
being
sent
to
prison
amid
escalating
tensions.”
She
described
Chinmoy
Krishna
Das
as
a
top
leader
of
the
Sanatan
Dharma
community
and
called
his
arrest
unjust.
Highlighting
the
recent
wave
of
religious
violence,
she
added,
“Temples
have
been
burned
in
Chittagong.
In
the
past,
mosques,
shrines,
churches,
monasteries,
and
homes
of
the
Ahmadiyya
community
have
been
attacked,
vandalized,
looted,
and
set
on
fire.
Religious
freedom
and
the
security
of
life
and
property
for
all
communities
must
be
ensured.”
The
former
Prime
Minister
accused
the
government
of
failing
to
maintain
law
and
order
and
called
the
current
administration’s
actions
anarchic.
She
pointed
to
the
murder
of
Awami
League
leaders
and
activists,
as
well
as
the
ongoing
harassment
of
citizens
through
violence,
legal
cases,
and
arrests.
“If
the
Yunus
government,
which
seized
power
unconstitutionally,
fails
to
punish
these
terrorists,
it
will
itself
face
consequences
for
violating
human
rights,”
she
warned.
Calling
for
unity
among
citizens,
she
urged
them
to
stand
against
terrorism
and
militancy.
“The
current
power
grabbers
have
failed
in
every
aspect-controlling
prices
of
essential
commodities,
ensuring
public
security,
and
protecting
lives
and
property.
I
strongly
condemn
the
direct
and
indirect
torture
inflicted
on
ordinary
citizens,”
she
said.
Rising
Religious
Tensions
Bangladesh
has
been
gripped
by
fresh
unrest
since
the
arrest
of
ISKCON
monk
Chinmoy
Krishna
Das
on
November
25.
Das,
a
prominent
Hindu
priest
and
an
advocate
for
minority
rights,
was
detained
in
Dhaka.
His
arrest
triggered
violent
protests,
with
reports
of
clashes,
injuries,
and
attacks
on
Hindu
temples
in
Chittagong.
This
unrest
comes
months
after
the
ousting
of
former
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
in
what
many
describe
as
a
violent
power
grab
by
Islamist
factions.
