At a press conference held on 23rd of September at the Sagar-Runi auditorium of the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU), the Bangladesh Joint Sanātanī Awakening Alliance (Combined Sanātanī Front) put forward five demands, including the unconditional release of Chinmoy Krishna Das.
Representatives Pradip Kanti De and Prosenjit Haldar read the written statement on behalf of the alliance.
The five demands are:
- Unconditional release of Chinmoy Krishna Das (a monk) and all other incarcerated members of the alliance
- Peaceful observance of this year’s Durga Puja
- Deployment of the army at vulnerable or high-risk pandals (festive sites)
- Declaring a three-day government holiday for Durga Puja
- Swift implementation of the eight-point demands previously submitted to the caretaker government
In their statement, the alliance also demanded inclusion of the Sanātanī (Hindu) community in all spheres of the nation in order to build a non-discriminatory, secular state.
The alliance criticized the rising incidents of communal violence, saying that a segment of miscreants is undermining national harmony. They alleged that many members of the Sanātanī community have been subjected to atrocities, looting, murder, molestation, desecration of idols, attacks on temples, and arson of houses and business establishments across the country. In some areas, even mausoleums have reportedly been vandalized.
They further claimed that, despite repeated incidents, the government and political parties often deny or downplay the persecution of minority communities. According to them, this has driven many to emigrate, gradually making the country devoid of its Hindu minority, thereby damaging Bangladesh’s image abroad.
The alliance also referenced a recent visit by the Prime Adviser to the Dhakeshwari Temple, who said the state is bound to give equal dignity to all religions and should not favor any one faith. The alliance expressed disappointment that these words have not yet translated into action under the caretaker government, and demanded that implementation be visible within a week.
