Kolkata, Nov 27 (IANS) ISKCON Kolkata Vice President and spokesperson Radharaman Das on Wednesday strongly condemned the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a prominent Hindu priest and religious minority leader in Bangladesh and said this was "nothing short of genocide."

Radharaman Das expressed his concern over the growing unrest in the country, which has been intensifying for over a hundred days, particularly targeting minorities.

“Chinmoy Krishna Das became the voice of the resistance movement in Bangladesh, speaking out against the atrocities being committed against religious minorities,” Das said.

He highlighted that the ongoing protests have attracted massive participation, with hundreds of thousands of people in Dhaka joining the rallies demanding justice.

"Just a few days ago, a peaceful protest in Bangladesh saw over four lakh people calling for the government to act on a list of eight demands, which included a five-day holiday for Durga Puja and a security commission to protect minority communities," he added.

However, the protests have met with a heavy-handed response from the authorities in Bangladesh.

Das recounted that members of the protest movement were facing legal action, and two days ago when Chinmoy Krishna Das was travelling from Dhaka to Chittagong, he was arrested by police who were in plainclothes at the airport.

“The police did not inform anything about his arrest and took him away without disclosing where he would be held,” Das said, later revealing that the arresting officers were from the Intelligence department.

Das also claimed that the arrest occurred secretly during the night.

"As tensions escalate, reports have emerged of threats from certain Muslim groups, including slogans calling for violence against Hindus and ISKCON followers. There have also been reports of houses being set on fire, with over 250 people injured in the violence. A Kali temple was also demolished. A Muslim lawyer was also killed amid protests outside the court in Chittagong," he stated.

“This is nothing short of genocide,” Das declared, condemning the rising attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh.

He further claimed that the Muslim groups are trying to portray Chinmoy Krishna Das as a traitor.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh stepped up security in the port city of Chittagong on Wednesday as police arrested six people in connection with the murder of the Muslim lawyer.

The arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das sparked widespread protests in Dhaka and Chittagong, where his supporters clashed with security forces.

Courtesy Media Group: IANS