Protests rock Dhaka after Hindu man arrested for building 81-ft Lord Ram statue

Minority leaders in Bangladesh on Saturday staged a large protest outside the National press club in Dhaka, condemning the arrest of a young Hindu man, Haridas Chandra Tarani Das, and alleging that the money laundering charges against him were fabricated to stop the construction of an 81-foot Lord Ram statue in Gaibandha district. The demonstration, organised by the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian unity council, brought together leaders from the Hindu, Buddhist and Christian communities, who accused the authorities of targeting religious minorities and demanded Das' immediate release. Speaking to ANI, Manindra Kumar Nath, general secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council, strongly criticised the arrest. "Today, Bangladesh Hindu Buddha Krishnalok Tabarishad organised a demonstration against the arrest of Haridas Chandra Tarani Das. Haridas Chandra Tarani Das was arrested by the government some two or three days ago over the claim that he built a Ram Chandra Devata, Ram Chandra statue in Palashbari. In that case, we cannot accept this sort of arrest of Taroni Das." Nath said the arrest reflected a wider pattern of violence and legal action against minority communities in Bangladesh. "You know, from the very beginning of the last two years, different types of arrests and atrocities have happened in Bangladesh. Not only that, you know, 3,000 incidents happened all over Bangladesh in the last year. Out of these, 66 were murdered, and there were so many temples attacked by the fundamentalists. It is undesirable. We cannot accept it." According to protest organisers, Das was arrested by law enforcement authorities before being remanded to judicial custody by a local court. Minority leaders alleged the money laundering case was intended to halt the construction of the proposed Lord Ram statue in Palashbari, Gaibandha. Pattern of persecution The arrest comes weeks after protests by members of the Hindu community over the reported desecration of an image of Lord Ram during an Islamist demonstration in the same district. Addressing the gathering, senior unity council leader Subrata Chowdhury questioned the circumstances surrounding the incident and urged Bangladesh's interim administration to identify those responsible. "A beautiful environment has been created, an environment of harmony has been established. In such a situation, who are they who have caused this kind of incident to embarrass this government? We want to give an ultimatum to the government to take proper action against this." He also demanded the immediate release of Das and warned of a wider agitation if action was not taken. "If you do not take proper legal action immediately against those who have insulted my religion, then we will call for a larger movement in Bangladesh." Chowdhury further questioned the decision-making behind Das' arrest. He added that the minority communities would continue their protests if Das remained in custody. "The person who has been imprisoned must be released immediately. If he is not released, the Sanatan (Hindu) community, the Buddhist community, and the Christian community of Bangladesh will build a united movement on the streets in the coming days." The protests come amid continued concerns over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh. On June 23, India also raised the issue, urging Dhaka to act against extremist elements following reports of desecration of Hindu deities. Bangladesh's criminal investigation department (CID) had arrested Haridas on money laundering charges involving alleged suspicious transactions worth Tk 9.35 crore. The agency also claimed he had travelled illegally to India in 2010 and later converted to Islam in 2019, according to local media outlets. The arrest came months after the death of 25-year-old Hindu man Chanchal Bhowmik in Narsingdi, an incident that remains under investigation after CCTV footage raised suspicions of possible foul play. Addressing a media briefing in New Delhi, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have seen reports from Bangladesh regarding acts of desecration involving Hindu deities and their images, which have sparked protests. We expect the Bangladeshi government to curb the extremists there and guarantee the safety of the minority community."