International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly referred to as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization.
It was founded by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on July 13, 1966 in New York City.
ISKCON's main headquarters is in Mayapur, West Bengal, India and it claims approximately 1 million members globally.
Petitions for banning ISKCON Bangladesh came amid recent clashes, after the arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das.
Assistant government prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif was killed on Tuesday in clashes between police and the supporters of Das in Chattogram.
ISKCON Bangladesh general secretary Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari said in a press conference that the organisation was never involved in “communal or conflict-driven activities”.
Chinmoy was previously expelled from the organisation for violating its rules and none of his activities were connected to ISKCON.
Additional Attorney General Aneek R Haque and Deputy Attorney General Asad Uddin informed the High Court (as the top court is called in Bangladesh) that three separate cases have been filed in this regard.
The Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum on Thursday also staged a protest against the lawyer’s killing and demanded a ban on ISKCON. The organisation is associated with Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, which led the recent student protests in Bangladesh and played a part in the ouster of Hasina earlier this year, called for a ban as well.
Chinmoy is a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote.
He was arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday as he was about to fly to Chattogram to join a rally advocating for the rights of Hindus in Bangladesh.
He was denied bail and sent to jail by the Chattogram’s Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate court in a sedition case on Tuesday.
Bangladesh Attorney-General Mohammad Asaduzzaman urged the court not to take any decisions on the issue and said the government was acting on the matter.
ISKCON Bangladesh also refuted allegations linking the organisation to the lawyer’s death.
ISKCON describes itself as belonging to the “Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradāya, a monotheistic tradition within the Vedic or Hindu culture.
Philosophically it is based on the Sanskrit texts Bhagavad-gītā and the Bhagavat Purana, or Srimad Bhagavatam.
These are the historic texts of the devotional bhakti yoga tradition, which teaches that the ultimate goal for all living beings is to reawaken their love for God, or Lord Krishna, the “all-attractive one”.”
Also known as the Hare Krishna Movement, it was founded in New York City in 1966 by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda (1896-1977). He hailed from Bengal, which led his organisation to eventually develop a significant presence there, including in present-day Bangladesh.
The Attorney General of Bangladesh referred to Iskcon as a ‘religious fundamentalist organisation’ while addressing a query about the group’s origins in the country.
The latest development coincides with the ongoing protests in Bangladesh following the arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari and attacks on Iskcon temples and other Hindu places of worship by Islamic groups.
Protests broke out following the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a Hindu priest, on Monday.
His detention came amid demonstrations in Rangpur, around 300 km from Dhaka, where the Hindu community is calling for stronger protections for minorities and the establishment of a dedicated ministry for minority affairs.
ISKCON came up when counterculture, a rejection of societal norms, was at its peak in the United States during the 1960s.
It was also a period when the Vietnam War led the youth to criticise the political establishment that sought to enlist them into the military, to fight in a faraway conflict. Other social movements, such as civil rights and feminism, were also active.
Many young people in the West sought transcendental experiences through multiple routes, from psychedelic drugs to meditation.
Hinduism and Eastern philosophy emerged as attractive alternatives for many.
Renowned American poet Allen Ginsburg was also one of ISKCON’s early supporters.
The Beatles’ member George Harrison is known to have gifted a manor house to the Hare Krishna movement to establish a base in the UK.
The Indian government has repeatedly raised concerns over reports of attacks on Hindu temples in Bangladesh.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Bangladesh is being targeted by fundamentalists attempting to malign its reputation because of its efforts to unite the persecuted Hindu community and resist forced conversion.
ISKCON members practice a distinct form of monotheistic Hinduism, grounded in Hindu scriptures and especially guided by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's commentary and translation of the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana. Described as “the largest and arguably most important branch” of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition,
ISKCON traces its roots in India to the early 16th century and expanded to gain followers in America, Europe, and Africa from the mid-to-late 20th century.
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