Bangladesh immigration authorities at the Benapole-Petrapole border crossing stopped 54 ISKCON members from travelling to India on Sunday, despite the monks having valid passports and visas. According to the Benapole immigration police, the monks were denied entry due to a lack of specific government approval from Dhaka.
"We consulted the special branch of police and received instructions from the higher authorities not to permit them (to cross the border)," officer-in-charge Imtiaz Ahsanul Quader Bhuiyan was quoted as saying by The Daily Star. While confirming that the devotees had valid documentation, he stated that they were “lacking specific government permission”.
The group, comprising devotees from various districts in Bangladesh, arrived at the check post between Saturday night and Sunday morning. After waiting for hours in the hope of gaining approval, the group was informed their travel was not authorized. "We came to participate in a religious ceremony taking place in India, but immigration officials stopped us, citing the absence of government permission," said Iskcon member Saurabh Tapandar Cheli.
Rising Scrutiny After ISKCON Priest Arrested
The denial comes amidst rising scrutiny of ISKCON activities in Bangladesh. Recently, Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on charges of sedition. The charges allege that Das and others hoisted a saffron flag above the Bangladeshi national flag during a rally in Chattogram on October 25.
Das's arrest led to protests among his supporters, which escalated into violent clashes, resulting in the death of a lawyer in Chattogram. Authorities also froze the bank accounts of 17 individuals associated with ISKCON, including Das, for 30 days.
Further adding to tensions, two ISKCON monks—Adi Purush Shyam Das and Ranganath Das—were detained last Friday while returning from delivering prasad to Das in prison. Both monks, natives of Chattogram, were arrested amid fears of escalating violence targeting Hindu minorities following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August.
Despite the controversies, the Bangladesh high court recently declined to issue a suo motu order to ban ISKCON in the country.