India-Bangladesh tensions soar amid protests

Chinmoy Das was earlier associated with the religious organisation Iskcon. But Hrishikesh Gauranga Das, a senior official of Iskcon in Dhaka, told the BBC that the monk was expelled from the organisation earlier this year on disciplinary grounds.

“Some students complained that Chinmoy Das misbehaved with them. So, we sent letters asking for his cooperation to investigate the matter. But he refused to cooperate”, the official said.

Chinmoy Das is in jail and unavailable for comment but a supporter told the BBC that the allegations were false and arose from “an internal feud between Iskcon leaders in Dhaka and Chittagong”.

The supporter, Swatantra Gauranga Das, also denied that Chinmoy Das had disrespected the Bangladeshi national flag.

The flare-up over the arrest has added to the tense atmosphere in Bangladesh.

Hrishikesh Gauranga Das said that minorities in Bangladesh are “living in fear”.

“They don’t know what will happen. The government is trying [to provide security] but it’s difficult to control most people”, he said.

He said three Iskcon temples suffered minor damages after they were vandalised by miscreants in recent days.

The interim government in Bangladesh says it’s aware of the sensitivities and that it gives equal treatment to all communities.

“We have deployed additional forces to provide security to Iskcon and Hindu temples and where religious minorities live. There may have been some stray incidents but there are no orchestrated attacks on minorities,” said Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus.

But religious tensions are not new to the region and activists on both sides are worried that if inflammatory speeches and protests continue, the situation could spiral out of control.

Hasina’s stay in India has already become a major irritant in bilateral ties and the escalating protests in both countries are likely to deteriorate the atmosphere.

Experts point out that India and Bangladesh are neighbours who need each other and it’s time for the rhetoric to be toned down.

The protests have also impacted ordinary people who travel from Bangladesh to India for business, tourism or for medical treatment.

When Muhammad Inayatullah was crossing into India earlier this week to meet his friends, he saw a demonstration by Hindu activists at the Petrapole border in the Indian state of West Bengal.

“It’s not nice to hear people shouting slogans against your country when you cross the border,” Mr Inayatullah told BBC Bengali.

Additional reporting by Amitabha Bhattasali, BBC Bengali from Petrapole border

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