Another Hindu priest arrested in Bangladesh after Chinmoy Das, says Iskcon member

Another Hindu priest has reportedly been arrested in Bangladesh

Days after the arrest of spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, another Hindu priest, Shyam Das Prabhu, was taken into custody in Bangladesh’s Chattogram. Prabhu had reportedly gone to visit Chinmoy Das in jail.

Radharamn Das, Vice-President and Spokesperson, ISKCON Kolkata took to X and wrote on Friday, "Another Brahmachari Sri Shyam Das Prabhu was arrested by Chattogram Police today."

In a separate post, Das wrote, "Does he look like a terrorist? #FreeISKCONMonks Bangladesh. The arrest of innocent #ISKCON brahmacharis are deeply shocking & disturbing."

Shyam Das Prabhu was arrested without any official warrant, NDTV reported citing sources.

Chinmoy Das, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday in a sedition case. He was denied bail and sent to jail by a Chattogram court on Tuesday. A lawyer was killed in a clash between security personnel and supporters of the Hindu leader.

The arrest of Chinmoy Das has triggered protests in various parts of Bangladesh by Hindu community members.

Three Hindu temples were targeted by a slogan-shouting mob in Chattogram, Bangladesh on Friday, as tensions rose over the arrest of Chinmoy Das. The attack took place around 2:30 pm in the port city's Harish Chandra Munsef Lane, where the Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, the nearby Shoni Temple, and the Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple were targeted, news portal BDNews24.com reported.

"A group of several hundred slogan-shouting people threw brickbats at the temples, damaging the Shoni Temple and the gates of the other two temples," the news portal quoted temple authorities as saying.

India on Friday said the interim government in Bangladesh must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities as it expressed serious concern over the “surge” of extremist rhetoric and increasing incidents of violence against Hindus as well as attacks on temples.