Iskcon Bangladesh banned Chinmoy Das in 2023, report cites old letter

Bangladesh’s Iskcon has imposed a ban on its former leader Chandan Kumar Dhar, also known as Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, over a child sexual abuse allegation. Chinmoy stirred major controversy after he was sent to jail by Chattogram court in a case filed in charge of disrespecting the national flag.

He was the spokesperson of the Sanatan Jagaran Mancha. He also was heading an Iskcon-operated religious site named Pundarik Dham in Chattogram. He was detained by the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday at 4:30 pm (local time).

Allegations of Chinmoy being involved in child abuse dates back to before he was behind the bar. In the wake of the allegation, ICOCP imposed a ban on Chinmoy. According to Daily Bangladesh, the ban was imposed in a letter issued by Iskcon’s CPT in the UK on October 6 last year. The organisation maintained that the ban has not been lifted as of now.

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The organisation was investigating the matter

It is pertinent to note that in the recent case, Chinmoy was charged with sedition after he and 18 others allegedly hoisted a saffron flag above Bangladesh’s national flag at the New Market intersection in Chittagong on October 25.

According to Daily Bangladesh, the letter, which was dated last year, was signed by CPT Director Kamlesh Krishna Das. The ban meant that Chinmoy was not allowed to hold any leadership or management position within Iskcon. He was also not allowed to demonstrate any kirtan, take classes, or participate in the public worship of Srila Prabhupada.

He was barred from communicating with anyone under the age of 18 and was not allowed to spend the night on any of the Iskcon property except for a person from the Iskcon Core Committee of Bangladesh and an office-bearer of the CPT.

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While speaking to Daily Bangladesh, Kamlesh Krishna Das, another member of Iskcon, confirmed the authenticity of the letter. He said that the organisation received a complaint about Chinmoy and the body was investigating the matter. “However, due to certain limitations including his cooperation, the matter has not been resolved yet,” he added.

On Friday, Iskcon expressed solidarity with the priest. The Iskcon emphasised that while it clarified that Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu was not an official member of the organisation, it did not attempt to distance itself from him, The Dhaka Tribune reported. “Iskcon has not, and does not distance itself from supporting Chinmoy Krishna Das’s rights and freedom for peacefully calling for protecting Hindus and their places of worship,” the group stated.

With inputs from agencies.