Yunus, Bangladesh's top military brass greets people on Janmashtami as ISKCON priest languishes in jail

Dhaka, Aug 16 (IANS) In a symbolic gesture to assuage the Hindu community, which has been target of harassment and attacks particularly since the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus came to power in Bangladesh last year, the country's three service chiefs will be taking part in the 'Janmashtami Shovajatra' in Dhaka on Saturday to mark the Krishna Janmashtami festival.

Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Naval chief Admiral Nazmul Hassan and Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan will be present along with Basudev Dhar, President Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, Subrata Chowdhury, Acting President Sri Sri Dhakeshwari National Mandir Committee, Jayanta Kumar Deb, President Mahanagar Sarbojanin Puja Committee, Taposh Chandra Paul, General Secretary, Mahanagar Sarbojanin Puja Committee. All three service chiefs are scheduled to extend their greetings on the occasion of Janmashtami and thereafter inaugurate the Janmashtami Shovajatra from Palashi Mor in Dhaka.

Chief Adviser Yunus also extended greetings to Hindu community on the occasion.

"Lord Sri Krishna has spread the message of justice, human compassion, and peace in society. Wherever he witnessed injustice or oppression, he appeared to protect the forces of good from the forces of evil. His philosophy and values, which are centered on devotion to the creator and the establishment of peace in society, will continue to inspire not only followers of Sanatan Dharma but also people of all faiths," he said.

The message came even as mob lynchings targetting the Hindu community, which has been branded as captive vote bank of Awami League, remain rampant in the country. Attacks on the Hindu community are a regular occurrence in Bangladesh wherein the police become a silent bystander including, not even registering reports and no immediate remedy for victims.

Analysts reckon that since August 2024, when a jihadist-backed coup ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the entire world has silently watched the ongoing Hindu genocide in Bangladesh. Hindus in Bangladesh have been confronting a relentless wave of terror where their homes and business establishments have been attacked with desecration of deities and temples now a regular occurrence under the interim administration headed by Yunus.

Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, also known as Krishna Das Prabhu, a prominent Vaishnavite Hindu leader and a former ISKCON monk in Bangladesh who became the spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, has been jailed since November 2024 in a sedition case. His bail petition has been rejected several times by the local court.

"A calculated move by the mobs is visible targetting the homes of Hindus with the Jamaat and the National Citizens Party (NCP) leaders allegedly threatening to rape Hindu girls. As the international community remains silent, many Hindu families have fled the country out of fear," said a former diplomat.

Meanwhile, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has begun celebrating a three-day Krishna Janmashtami in a festive atmosphere in Bangladesh. Devotees are flocking to ISKCON's central temple in Swamibagh, Dhaka, to participate in various phases of the festival. Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parisad and Mahanagar Sarbojanin Puja Committee have arranged a two-day programme at the Dhakeshwari National Temple.

--IANS

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