Dhaka, Nov 29 (V7N) – The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has directed the freezing of bank accounts belonging to 17 individuals tied to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) Bangladesh, including its former leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari. The accounts will remain frozen for 30 days.

The order, issued on Thursday, was sent to various financial institutions across the country, halting all transactions from these accounts for one month, according to media reports.

The individuals impacted include Kartik Chandra De, Anik Pal, Saroj Roy, Sushanta Das, Biswa Kumar Singha, Chandidas Bala, Jaydev Karmakar, Lipi Rani Karmakar, Sudhama Gaur Das, Laxman Kanti Das, Priyatosh Das, Rupan Das, Rupan Kumar Dhar, Ashish Purohit, Jagadish Chandra Adhikari, and Sajal Das.

BFIU has also requested comprehensive account details from the banks, including account opening forms, KYC documentation, and transaction histories for all businesses operated by these individuals, with a deadline of three working days for submission.

The move follows the arrest of Chinmoy, spokesperson for the Sanatan Jagaran Jote, on sedition charges related to allegedly disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag. The accusations stem from an incident on October 25, where a saffron flag was reportedly raised above the national flag during a rally in Chittagong.

A case was filed at Kotwali police station on October 30 by Firoz Khan, a local BNP leader who was subsequently expelled from the party. Chinmoy was arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Monday.

The following day, a Chittagong court rejected Chinmoy’s bail plea and sent him to jail, prompting protests by his supporters, who blocked the prison van for over two hours. Police dispersed the crowd using sound grenades to escort Chinmoy to jail.

The incident led to violent clashes, during which lawyer Saiful Islam Alif sustained severe injuries near the Rangam Convention Hall and later died at the hospital.

These events have sparked calls to ban Iskcon in Bangladesh, though Iskcon has distanced itself from Chinmoy, stating he has not represented the organization for a significant period.

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