ISKCON Kolkata on Saturday condemned the “murder” of a Hindu priest whose body was discovered with his hands and feet tied at the temple located in Natore’s Kashimpur Central Shmashana (cremation ground) in Bangladesh. The priest is said to have been allegedly killed by Bangladeshi extremists.
Condemning the incident and expressing shock over the priest’s killing, ISKCON Kolkata vice president Radharamn Das accused the neighbouring country’s interim government of failing to protect religious minorities, who he said continues to face “unabated torture and killings” since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster.
“I am shocked to learn that another shebait in a temple which is located in Natore was found murdered today, and all the valuables of the temple were looted. Tarun Chandra Das was brutally murdered and his lifeless body was discovered with his hands and feet bound, raising grave concerns over the safety of minorities in the region. Even Hindu crematoriums, meant to be places of peace, are now falling prey to such crimes,” Das said on the priest’s alleged murder.
“This incident underscores the pressing need for action to ensure the security of religious minorities and their sacred sites,” he added.
VIDEO | Here’s what ISKCON Kolkata vice president Radharamn Das (@RadharamnDas) on murder of a Hindu priest at a cremation ground temple in Natore, Bangladesh.
“I am shocked to learn that another shebait in a temple which is located in Natore was found murdered today, and all… pic.twitter.com/Q3kacpvxas
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 21, 2024
ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson had posted a video on X and wrote: “Shocked to hear about the attack on the temple located in Natore’s Kashimpur Central Shmashana in Bangladesh. Valuables were looted, and the temple’s shebait, Tarun Chandra Das, was brutally murdered. Even Hindu crematoriums are not safe.”
ABP News could not independently verify the authenticity of the video, but the footage allegedly showed the middle-aged priest, whose body was found with his hands and feet tied.
Das alleged that the ISKCON priest was likely tortured before being murdered as his hands and feet were found to be tied. “Miscreants also looted the temple,” he said, adding that Bangladesh has termed the case a robbery incident, news agency PTI reported.
Raising questions over Bangladesh police’s claim of robbery, Das asked: “How is it that incidents of robbery and violence are disproportionately targeting Hindus?”
Meanwhile, another monk condemned the priest’s ‘killing’, saying, “Dialogue alone is not enough, as the situation continues to deteriorate.”
“According to an Indian government report, 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh have been reported this year up to December 8. This number is likely understated, as many incidents go unreported,” PTI quoted him as saying.
