Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanam Jaishankar has called for transparency and justice in the case of former ISKCON leader Chinmay Krishna Das, who was arrested in a sedition case. Yesterday, India said on Friday that the responsibility of protecting the minorities of Bangladesh should be fulfilled by the interim government. Besides, the country has expressed deep concern over the increase in incidents of violence against Hindus and attacks on temples in Bangladesh.
According to Indian media NDTV, India's foreign minister has expressed hope that the case of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, arrested in Bangladesh for treason, will be conducted in a fair, transparent and impartial manner.
Foreign Minister Jaishankar said in the Parliament of India on Friday, 'India has taken the incidents of violence against minorities in Bangladesh seriously. Bangladesh's responsibility is to protect the lives and freedom of all citizens, especially minorities.'
India-Bangladesh relations began to strain after the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus came to power after the resignation of Sheikh Hasina in the face of student-mass agitation. Since then, India has repeatedly raised concerns about attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh.
Jaishankar said, 'The primary responsibility of the Bangladesh government is to protect the life and freedom of all citizens of Bangladesh.' At this time, he said, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka is closely monitoring the situation of minorities.
Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Jaishankar said, 'India is concerned about attacks on homes, businesses, temples and religious places of Hindus and other minorities. India is deeply concerned about these incidents and has conveyed the matter to the Government of Bangladesh. Recently, during Durga Puja, there has been concern about the attack on a pujamandap in Dhaka's Tantibazar and the theft of Jashoreshwari Kalimandir in Satkhira.' Jaishankar said that after this attack Bangladesh government took special security measures. Army and border guards were deployed to make Durga Puja peaceful.
Meanwhile, India's Ministry of External Affairs urged Bangladesh to take necessary steps to protect minorities. Chinmay expressed hope that Krishna Das's case would be conducted in a fair and transparent manner. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaswal said, 'India has repeatedly informed the Bangladesh government about threats and attacks against Hindus and other minorities. Our position is clear—the interim government must ensure protection of minorities.'
Randhir Jaswal also said, 'Incidents of extremism, violence and incitement are on the rise, which is not only exaggerated by the media. We once again urge Bangladesh to take all steps to protect minorities.'
Regarding the arrest of former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, Jaiswal said, 'India hopes for a transparent and fair trial in this case. ISKCON is an internationally recognized organization. Its history of social service is long.'
Jaswal said, 'In India's eyes, the legal process of the case is going on. We hope this process will be fair and transparent and will protect the legal rights of all concerned.' Jaswal added, 'We hope that justice will be done to him and that his legal rights will be protected.'
