ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, has made it clear that it does not take responsibility for the actions or statements of Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was recently expelled from the organization.
Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari, the General Secretary of ISKCON, spoke about the issue during a press conference held at the Swamibag Ashram in Dhaka on Thursday, November 28.
Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari stated that Chinmoy Krishna Das`s actions and words are entirely his own, and ISKCON is not involved in any way. He also emphasized that any comments or actions taken by India regarding Chinmoy Krishna Das have nothing to do with ISKCON.
"Any country or individual making statements or taking steps involving Chinmoy is not the responsibility of ISKCON," he said.
He went on to address false claims linking ISKCON to the murder of a lawyer in Chittagong. He strongly denied any involvement, stating that ISKCON had nothing to do with the incident, including a road accident connected to Chinmoy.
Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari explained that Chinmoy Krishna Das had already been expelled from ISKCON long before these issues emerged, due to various inappropriate actions, including alleged misconduct with children.
Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested on November 25 at 4:30 p.m. by the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police, near the airport.
The case against him was filed on October 31 by Firoz Khan, a leader from the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party), at the Kotwali Police Station. Chinmoy Krishna Das, along with 19 others, was named as a defendant in the case.
The complaint alleges that following a mass uprising on August 5 in Bangladesh, members of the Anti-Discrimination Student-Youth Group raised a national flag at the Zero Point monument near New Market, which is still in place.
On October 25, a large rally was organized by the Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha at Laldighi Maidan, where thousands of people from various parts of Chittagong attended.
During the event, nine individuals, including Chandan Kumar Dhar, allegedly encouraged others to raise an ISKCON flag over the national flag at Zero Point, sparking public anger.
After the case was filed, a video statement by Chinmoy Krishna Das was shared on the official Facebook page of ISKCON Provartak Dham.
In the video, Chinmoy Krishna Das described the legal case as an attempt to divert their peaceful protest for the eight demands of the Sanatanis.
He clarified, "Our movement is a protest against the attacks and oppression on Sanatanis after August 5. This movement is not against the current government or the state."