Bank accounts of 17 people with Iskcon ties, including Chinmoy, frozen

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has ordered to freeze the bank accounts of 17 people associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) Bangladesh, including its former leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, for 30 days. 

The BFIU, which operates under the Bangladesh Bank, sent this instruction to different banks and financial institutions of the country yesterday (28 November), suspending all types of all types of transactions in these accounts for a month, reports Prothom Alo.

The other 16 people are 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.

At the same time, the BFIU has asked the banks and financial institutions to send account-related information – such as account opening forms, KYC forms, updated transaction statements from the beginning, etc. – of all the accounts of all types of businesses owned by these 17 individuals within the next three working days.

On 25 October, Chinmoy, the spokesperson of Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote who is also known as Chandan Kumar Dhar, was accused in a sedition case for allegedly disrespecting Bangladesh's national flag by hoisting a saffron flag above it during a rally organised by the Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha in Chattogram city.

The case was filed by local BNP leader Firoz Khan, who was later expelled from the party over the issue.

Chinmoy, former spokesperson of Iskcon Bangladesh, was arrested by police at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 4:30pm last Monday (25 November).

The following day, at 11am, Chinmoy was presented before a Chattogram court, which rejected his bail plea and sent him to jail.

A large group of people believed to be supporters of Chinmoy blocked the prison van carrying him to jail for about two and a half hours. Later, the police dispersed the protesters by throwing sound grenades and took Chinmoy to jail.

Severely injured during the protest, lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was rescued from the alley of Rangam Convention Hall opposite the main entrance to the court and taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The incident led to several calls coming in demanding the ban of Iskcon, which has distanced itself from Chinmoy.