Accusing the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) of engaging in extremist activities in Bangladesh, lawyers have demanded the organisation’s ban and called for justice in the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif in Chattogram.
These demands were made during a press conference at the Chattogram Press Club today (13 December).
Earlier in the day, a group of Supreme Court lawyers under the banner of Voice of Lawyers of Bangladesh organised a road march from Dhaka to Chattogram to press home for these demands.
Around a hundred lawyers participated in the road march. They organised roadside meetings in Cumilla at noon and Feni in the afternoon before reaching Chattogram Press Club in the evening for a press conference. Following this, they proceeded to Lohagara upazila, where they planned to visit Saiful Islam Alif’s grave and meet his family.
Voice of Lawyers Chairman Lawyer Gias Uddin Ahmed presided over the event, where Chief coordinator of the event Ashraf-uz-Zaman, Lawyers Council Chattogram unit Secretary Muhammad Shamsul Alam, Trinamool BNP leader Lawyer Taimur Alam Khandaker, human rights activist Lawyer Dr Yunus Ali Akand, and Chattogram Press Club Interim Committee Secretary Jahidul Karim Kochi, among others, spoke.
Lawyer Ashraf-uz-Zaman said, “After the fall of the Awami League government, Muslim people guarded Durga Puja venues. However, Iskcon continues to make communal statements and incite provocations. They are a threat to the country’s independence and sovereignty.”
Lawyer Taimur Alam Khandaker said Iskcon as an extremist organisation, alleging that they (Iskcon) engage in extremist activities in the country with support from provocative Indian media. “Despite this, we have faced these challenges with patience and courage,” he said.
Lawyer Muhammad Shamsul Alam detailed the circumstances surrounding Saiful Islam’s murder, saying, “On 26 November, Iskcon extremists tried to force a hearing for Chinmoy’s bail. They blocked the prison van and gathered extremists across Chattogram armed with weapons. During the chaos, when we [lawyers] were trapped, we sought police assistance, but it was not provided.”
They also alleged Iskcon’s involvement in other controversial incidents, including the termination of a mosque imam in Gazipur for anti-Iskcon remarks and crimes attributed to former Teknaf police officer-in-charge Pradeep.
They vowed to continue their movement until justice is served.
