Bangladesh Islamists Demand Ban on ISKCON, Label it ‘Extremist Hindutva Organisation’.

Yunus’s Free Run to Islamists Puts Hindus at High Risk as Bangladesh Demands Ban on ISKCON.

Upananda Brahmachari | HENB | New Delhi | Oct 18, 2025:: In a concerning development, Islamist groups in Bangladesh, including Hefazat-e-Islam, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and Intifada Bangladesh, have intensified their campaign against the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), branding it an “extremist Hindutva organization.” This demand coincides with a High Court plea, where Bangladesh’s interim administration, led by Muhammad Yunus, described ISKCON as a “religious fundamentalist organisation” in response to a writ petition seeking the group’s ban. The move follows a series of attacks on Hindu temples and ISKCON centres, as well as the imprisonment of Krishna Das Prabhu, a former ISKCON member who advocated for better treatment of minorities, after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.

Massive Rallies

Large gatherings of Islamist groups led by Hefazat-e-Islam, Intifada Bangladesh and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), were seen in major Bangladeshi cities, including Dhaka and Chattogram, following Friday’s Jummah prayers. During the rallies, Intifada Bangladesh outlined six demands, one of which was the immediate banning of ISKCON, along with investigations and legal action against the group. The groups alleged that ISKCON is not a Hindu organization but an extremist group created by Jews, and that it is committing one crime after another.

Intifada Bangladesh’s Six Demands

During its rally outside Dhaka’s Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Intifada Bangladesh outlined six demands, including the immediate banning of ISKCON and legal action against the group. Jasimuddin Rahmani, chief of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a hardline anti-India terrorist outfit and al-Qaeda affiliate, said, “ISKCON is not a Hindu organisation. It is an extremist organisation created by Jews,” according to Dhaka-based daily Desh Rupantor. “Banning ISKCON is the demand of the hour,” Rahmani added. Rahmani was released by the Yunus regime days after it assumed power in August 2024.

Allegations of Abduction and Torture

Ahmed Rafique of Intifada Bangladesh alleged that when an imam spoke out against ISKCON, “he was abducted, tied in chains, and beaten,” while authorities remained silent. “The state is more concerned about what the West, America, leftists, or foreign embassies will say than about what Allah will say,” Rafique said during the rally in Dhaka.

Hefazat-e-Islam’s Demand for Ban ISKCON

In Chattogram, Hefazat-e-Islam held a rally at the north gate of Anderkilla Shahi Jame Mosque, also demanding a “ban on ISKCON.” An unnamed speaker at the Chattogram rally was quoted as saying by The Business Standard, “Just as the Awami League has been banned for its crimes and senior army officers have been put on trial, ISKCON as an extremist organisation must also be brought under the law.” Another speaker added, “We call on the government to immediately declare this terrorist organisation banned. Banning ISKCON is the only way to preserve peace and communal harmony in the country.”

ISKCON Accused of Being an ‘Agent of India’

Addressing a gathering in Hathazari, Chattogram District, Ashraf Ali Nizampuri, central joint secretary general of Hefazat-e-Islam and Hathazari Madrasa Muhaddis, alleged that “the extremist Hindutva ISKCON acts as an agent of India, engaged in subversive activities against Muslims.” He further claimed that ISKCON had “built one establishment after another across the country in the name of temples, following Israeli methods, and oppressed weaker Sanatan community members.” Nizampuri alleged that ISKCON had used its connections with “a neighbouring state’s high commission” to gain backing from sections of the administration, bureaucracy, and intelligence agencies to sustain its “Hindutva activities.”

Prime Plan to Deny Chinmoy Prabhu’s Bail

The demand to ban ISKCON appears to be a strategic move to resist the bail of former ISKCON priest and spokesperson of Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is currently lodged in a jail in Chattagram. Das was implicated in a ‘false’ case of sedition (hoisting a saffron flag above the official flag of Bangladesh during a public rally at Chattogram’s Laldighi Maidan on October 25, 2024) and the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam in Chattagram. He was arrested in Dhaka on November 25, 2024.

Although a High Court bench granted bail to Chinmoy in the sedition case on April 30, 2025, the state filed an appeal with the Chamber Court seeking a stay on the High Court order, which was subsequently granted by Chamber Judge Justice Md Rezaul Haque. It appears that the interim Islamist Government of Bangladesh, led by Prof. Muhammad Yunus, has taken a stand to keep Chinmoy Prabhu in jail (his health condition is reportedly worsening) after raising demands from its fundamental wings to declare ISKCON an extremist organization.

This sequence of events raises concerns about the government’s intentions regarding Das’s imprisonment.

ISKCON’s Humanitarian Work

Contrary to the allegations, ISKCON has been active in Bangladesh since the 1970s, providing humanitarian aid across religious lines. The organization’s Food for Life program fed millions after the 1971 Liberation War and during recurring floods. In no country has ISKCON been charged as an extremist organization; rather, its growing popularity in the field of spirituality and social work is acclaimed as outstanding.

Clear Intention to Target ISKCON

The Islamists’ demand to ban ISKCON appears to be part of a broader agenda to target the organization, implicating Israel, India, and the US. They claim that ISKCON was established with Israeli planning and are trying to target India and the US, citing ISKCON’s activities in these countries. The fact that Indian PM Narendra Modi has attended ISKCON programs ^{[1] [2]}  and the US DNI Chief Tulsidas Gabbard is a follower of ISKCON has further fueled the Islamists’ campaign against the organization. The Bangladesh Islamists’ sinister design to label ISKCON as a terrorist organization appears to be aimed at keeping Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu in jail, citing his connection with the organization.

The attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh are growing day by day during the regime of the interim Bangladesh government led by Prof. Muhammad Yunus. The situation highlights the increasing Islamist influence in Bangladesh and the need for the international community to take note of the persecution of minority groups, including Hindus and ISKCON members.
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