Temple burnt in Bangla: ISKCON

Kolkata official says idols gutted, expresses concern over arrested Krishna Das's safety

- Sulagna Sengupta

Amid continuing violence against minorities, including Hindus, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on Saturday said that its temple in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka was burnt down earlier in the day.

ISKCON Kolkata vice president Radharamn Das said that vandals set ablaze idols inside the temple at the Namhatta property. "ISKCON Namhatta Centre was burned down in Bangladesh. The deities of Sri Sri Laxmi Narayan temple and all items inside the temple were burned down completely... The temple, which falls under the Hare Krishna Namhatta Sangha is located in Dhour village under the jurisdiction of Turag police station in Dhaka district," Das said.

"The fire was initiated by lifting the tin roof at the back of the temple and using petrol or octane," he said. "It seems that atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh are continuing unabated," he added.