The Government of Bangladesh has said that Indian government鈥檚 statement over arrest of Sanatan Jagaran Mancha spokesperson Chinmoy Krishna Das misrepresents facts and is contrary to the spirit of friendship and understanding between the two neighboring countries.
鈥業t is with utter dismay and a deep sense of hurt that the Government of Bangladesh notes that the arrest of Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das has been misconstrued by certain quarters since Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das has been arrested on specific charges,鈥� the foreign ministry said in a statement, when its attention was drawn to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs of India on a matter concerning internal affairs of Bangladesh.
It said that the Bangladesh government maintained that 鈥榮uch unfounded statements not only misrepresent facts but also stand contrary to the spirit of friendship and understanding between the two neighboring countries鈥�.
India鈥檚 statement also does not reflect the harmony that exists among the peoples of all faiths and the commitment and the efforts of the government and the people in this regard, the Bangladesh foreign ministry added.
鈥業t also completely disregards that the Government of Bangladesh is determined to conclusively end the culture of impunity to the perpetrators of gross human rights violations against the people of Bangladesh, thus treating the religious majority and minorities alike,鈥� said the foreign ministry in the statement.
It said that Bangladesh reaffirmed in the strongest terms that every Bangladeshi, regardless of his or her religious identity, had the right to establish, maintain or perform respective religious rituals and practices or express views without hindrances.
鈥楨nsuring safety and security of all citizens, particularly the members of religious minorities remains a duty of the Government of Bangladesh. This was yet again vindicated by the peaceful observance of Durga Puja throughout Bangladesh only last month,鈥� Dhaka assured.
It said that the Bangladesh government would like to reiterate that the country鈥檚 judiciary was fully independent and it did not interfere in the work of the judiciary.
鈥楾he matter under question is at present being dealt with by the court of law,鈥� the foreign ministry said.
Expressing deep concern over the brutal killing of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif on Tuesday afternoon in Chattogram, it iterated that the Bangladesh government was also committed to upholding communal harmony in the country.聽
The authorities have stepped up security in the port city to ensure that religious harmony is maintained at any cost, it mentioned.
New Delhi condemned the arrest of and denial of bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das, also a former leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, popularly known as ISKCON, alleging the incident followed the multiple attacks on Hindus and other minorities by extremist elements in Bangladesh.
The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport area in Dhaka on Monday.
On Tuesday, he was sent to jail by a court in Chattogram in a sedition case amid clashes between his followers and law enforcement agencies leaving a lawyer killed on the court premises.
