Amid increasing violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, ISKCON Kolkata has advised its colleagues and followers in the neighbouring country to avoid wearing saffron, wipe off tilak and hide tulsi beads.
According to a report by Times Of India, ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharamn Das said, “I have been advising all monks and members that in this hour of crisis, they must be very careful to protect themselves and avoid conflict. I have suggested they avoid wearing saffron clothes and vermilion on their foreheads."
"If they feel the need to wear saffron strings, they should wear them in a manner that remains hidden inside clothes and not visible around necks. If possible, they should also cover their heads. In short, they should take every possible measure that doesn’t stand out as monks," he added.
The advice came hours after advocate Ramen Roy, who was defending arrested Bangladesh’s Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in court, was brutally attacked in the neighbouring country and is fighting for his life in a hospital.
According to Das, Roy’s only “fault" was defending Chinmay Das in court, and a group of Islamists ransacked his home and brutally attacked him.
The attack left Roy critically injured, and he is currently in the ICU, fighting for his life.
Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was arrested on November 25 from the Dhaka airport, has been charged in a sedition case for allegedly disrespecting Bangladesh's national flag during a rally in October.
