Bangladesh radicals step up heat against India and ISKCON

New Delhi: Radical groups in Bangladesh have intensified anti-India rhetoric and attacks on minorities ahead of the country's parliamentary elections, demanding a ban on ISKCON and branding it an "Indian agent."

Student organisations linked to Jamaat-e-Islami, Hizbut Tahrir, and Hefazat-e-Islam staged anti-India rallies across Bangladesh on Friday, calling for a ban on ISKCON. Elections are scheduled for February 2026, but political activity has gained momentum following the ban on the Awami League.

In Chattogram, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh held a protest rally after Friday prayers, describing ISKCON as an "extremist Hindutva organisation." The rally, presided over by Hefazat's central Nayeb-e-Ameer Maulana Ali Usman, accused ISKCON of fomenting unrest and demanded legal action against it.


"Just as the Awami League has been banned for its crimes, and senior army officers have been tried for wrongdoing, ISKCON - as an extremist organisation - must also be brought under the law," Hefazat leaders declared. "Banning ISKCON is the only way to preserve peace and communal harmony in the country," they claimed.