Dhaka,NOV 4
An aide to the Chief Adviser of the Bangladesh Interim Government, Muhammed Yunus, has said that India’s neighbouring country does not have any plans to impose a ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) after a monk formerly associated with the organisation was arrested on alleged sedition charges. Speaking to ANI, Shafiqul Alam the Press Secretary to Yunus noted that Bangladesh is at a crucial stage and the country’s Chief Adviser will soon give a national unity call to all political parties against all misinformation campaigns and against vested interest groups who are attempting to destabilize the nation.To a query on ISKCON being potentially banned in his country, Alam responded, “We have said we don’t have any plan to ban ISKCON. That is like we have said it repeatedly.”The situation in Bangladesh has been marked by increasing violence against minority communities following the arrest of spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das.Das, who is associated with the Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, was arrested in Dhaka on November 25. The arrest followed a complaint filed on October 31 by a local politician that accused him and and others of disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag during a rally of the Hindu community.On being asked about the goal of the national unity call given by Muhammad Yunus, Shafiqul Alam said, “I think we are at a crucial stage and we think you have seen how the nation got together to oust Sheikh Hasina. So, obviously, Chief Adviser will call all the political parties for national unity, unity against all the misinformation campaign, unity against all the vested interest group who are trying to destabilize the country and who are selling all the sorts of conspiracy stories and all sorts of fake news about Bangladesh.”Bangladesh local media reported today that Younus met with all political parties of the country.A report in the Daily Star cited Amar Bangladesh Party Joint Secretary General Asaduzzaman Fuaad telling reporters in front of the Foreign Service Academy that leaders of all the political parties assured Yunus that their respective parties would stand by the government on the issue of national unity.
