A mob of 200 people allegedly vandalised the ISKCON Radhkanta temple in Bangladesh’s Dhaka on Thursday. This comes a few months after attacks on religious places in the country. The Indian government has been in touch with authorities there.
Condemning the incident, ISKCON Kolkata vice-president Radharamn Das said these attacks were of grave concern. “Last evening, when devotees were preparing for Gaura Purnima celebration, a mob of 200 people entered the premises of Shri Radhakanta Temple, Dhaka, and attacked them. Three of them were injured in a scuffle. Fortunately, they called the police and were able to drive away miscreants,” he was quoted by news agencies.
He requested the Bangladesh government to take action against those involved. “We request the Bangladesh government to provide security to Hindu minorities (there),” he added. Tension gripped Bangladesh last year after incidents of vandalism, when, in October, an ISKCON temple in Noakhali was attacked. While one person died, three more were killed over allegations of a Quran desecrated at a Durga Puja pavilion in Bangladesh.
As more reports of such vandalism and attacks came in, India had said it was “in very close contact with the authorities in Dhaka and at local levels” and that Bangladesh had “reacted promptly to ensure control… including the deployment of the law enforcement machinery.”
In the days that followed the attacks, thousands of Bangladeshis protested in support of the Hindu community in the country, as well as other minorities targeted by the vandals.
