ISKCON Bangladesh has categorically stated that Chinmoy Krishna Das, the spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sanatani Jagaran Jote, was permanently expelled from the organisation long ago, rendering all his activities personal and unrelated to ISKCON.
The clarification was made by Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari, general secretary of ISKCON Bangladesh, during a press conference held on Thursday (28 November), at the ISKCON Swamibagh Ashram.
Appealing for calm, Charu Chandra Das highlighted ongoing attempts to unjustly implicate ISKCON Bangladesh in the tragic death of Chittagong lawyer Saiful Islam Alif.
“We wish to state unequivocally that ISKCON Bangladesh has no connection with such heinous incidents or the ongoing protests. The level of fabrication has reached such absurdity that even road accidents are being misrepresented as ISKCON conspiracies,” he remarked.
Charu Chandra Das emphasised that the organisation had already clarified its stance through multiple press conferences and formal communications with government and administrative authorities.
“Unfortunately, certain vested interests are deliberately running a smear campaign against us, even demanding the unreasonable banning of ISKCON,” he lamented.
He further elaborated that disciplinary actions had been taken against several members long ago, including Liloraj Gour Das, head of the Provatak Shri Krishna Mandir; Swatantra Gouranga Das; and Chinmoy Krishna Das, head of the Pundarik Dham in Chittagong. These individuals were relieved of all organisational positions and activities for breaching ISKCON's disciplinary code. The organisation explicitly stated that any actions undertaken by them are not representative of ISKCON’s activities.
Charu Chandra Das reiterated that an official statement released on 3 October declared Chinmoy Krishna Das (formerly Chandan Kumar Dhar) as not being a spokesperson for ISKCON Bangladesh.
“His statements are entirely personal, and ISKCON cannot be held accountable for the actions or remarks of Liloraj Gour Das, Swatantra Gouranga Das, or Chinmoy Krishna Das,” he asserted.
Satyaranjan Baroi, President of ISKCON Bangladesh, called upon the authorities to ensure justice for the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif, urging a thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators.
“We firmly assert that ISKCON has no involvement in the lawyer’s death,” he concluded.
