Case filed on charges of ISKCON temple vandalism, 3 BCL leaders arrested
A has been filed over attack and vandalism in a worship place run by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Kishoreganj’s Bhairab.
A person named Pranay Karmakar filed the case against unidentified miscreants on Friday night.
The vandalism took place at ‘Shree Shree Hare Krishna Namhat Sangha’ at Ranibazar Holudpatti area of Bhairab town on Friday.
Kishoreganj’s police superintendent Mohammad Hasan Chowdhury and deputy commissioner Fouzia Khan visited the spot on Saturday morning.
Police have so far arrested three leaders of banned outfit Bangladesh Chhatra League over the incident till Saturday afternoon.
The arrestees are Hasibul Hasan, 28, Md Pranta and Md Sanjir. Hasibul is the joint secretary of pourashava Chhatra League, Sanjib is library affairs secretary and Pranta is joint secretary of upazila Chhatra League.
Md Shahin, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Bhairab police station, told Prothom Alo that the three were arrested based on video footage and some other factors.
However, the arrestees have denied their involvement with vandalism of the worship place while talking to Prothom Alo at the police custody.
According to the case statement, the plaintiff is a member of Sangha. After hearing about the attack around 5:00pm on Friday, he went to the worship place and found the door was broken.
Furniture and other stuff were littered all around the temple while some were stolen. The temple incurred a loss of goods worth Tk 4 million due to the attack.
Pranay Karmakar told Prothom Alo that ISKCON has many wings. Shree Shree Hare Krishna Namhat Sangh is ISKCON’s publicity wing which was founded in 2009. Devotees pray here every Sunday.
The facility remains mostly shut on other days of the week. Around 15-20 persons, mostly youths, attacked the facility chanting different slogans.
Bhairab upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Shabnam Sharmin, and OC (investigation) Md Shahin visited the spot immediately. Members of the army and RAB also went to the place.
Shabnam Sharmin said those involved with the attack would be identified by investigating the video footage.