ISKCON assault: 500-strong mob broke into temple, killed devotee, says witness

The mob that attacked the ISKCON temple in Noakhali, Bangladesh was a minimum of 500-strong and brutally set upon monks and devotees alike, witnesses stated.

Speaking solely to India Today, ISKCON member Anukul Govinda Das described the violence and destruction that performed out on the temple in Noakhali on Friday.“A mob of around 500 people broke the locked gate and attacked the temple, the priests and devotees. They entered and ransacked the rooms, shattered glass and manhandled the priests,” Anukul Govinda Das stated.One devotee, who was on the ghats and couldn’t escape to security, was overwhelmed up and murdered, his physique was thrown into the pond, he stated. The man’s physique was pulled out of the pond on Saturday morning and he was recognized as 26-year-old Pranta Chandra Das.“One of our brahmachari, Nimai Krishna Das, was wounded so badly on the head that he had to get around 30 stitches. He is hospitalised and in a serious condition,” Anukul Govinda Das stated.Inside the temple precinct, the attackers had set hearth indiscriminately. Videos filmed by witnesses confirmed a number of bikes, raths and statuary have been discovered gutted.In the wake of the assault on the ISKCON temple, prohibitory orders have been imposed in Noakhali district.On Friday, ISKCON issued an announcement, saying, “ISKCON temple and devotees were violently attacked today by a mob in Noakhali, Bangladesh. Temple suffered significant damage and the condition of a devotee remains critical. We call on the Government of Bangladesh to ensure the safety of all Hindus and bring the perpetrators to justice.”The vandalism on the ISKCON temple is the newest within the sequence of assaults on Hindu locations of worship in Bangladesh this week. Several native media stories claimed that Durga Puja pandals and idols have been vandalised in Bangladesh.Violence erupted after information unfold on social media that the Quran was allegedly desecrated at a Durga Puja pandal close to Nanuar Dighi lake in Comilla city.Following the Comilla violence, incidents of vandalism have been additionally reported from temples in Chandpur’s Hajiganj, Chattogram’s Banshkhali and Cox’s Bazar’s Pekua.Paramilitary forces have been deployed in 22 districts after 4 folks died within the ensuing violence whereas a number of others have been injured, as per Bangladeshi media stories.Reacting to the incidents, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday stated the Bangladesh authorities promptly reacted to make sure that the state of affairs was underneath management.