Even though the High Court in Bangladesh has refused to ban ISKCON, clouds of crisis are looming over it. Major action has been taken against ISKCON during the interim government which was working under the pressure of fundamentalists.
The bank accounts of Samit Sanat’s Jagran Jot spokesperson Chinmoy Krishna Das and 16 ISKCON members have been seized. The Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) of Bangladesh Bank has sent instructions to banks and financial institutions of the country in this regard. A senior BFIU official confirmed this.
Bank transactions suspended for 30 days
The letter sent to banks across the country said that the bank accounts of all businesses associated with those whose accounts have been seized will also be suspended. According to this order, none of these people will be able to do any kind of transaction for the next 30 days. BFIU has said that this period of suspension of transactions will be extended if needed.
Bank accounts of 16 ISKCON people seized
Apart from Chinmay Krishna Das, the 16 members of ISKCON Bangladesh whose bank accounts have been seized include Kartik Chandra Dey, Anik Pal, Saroj Roy, Sushant Das, Vishwa Kumar Singh, Chandidas Bala, Jaydev Karmakar, Lipi Rani Karmakar, Sudhama Gaur. . Apart from this, the accounts of Laxman Kanti Das, Priyatosh Das, Rupan Das, Rupan Kumar Dhar, Ashish Purohit, Jagdish Chandra Adhikari and Sejal Das have also been seized.
Action under money laundering: BFIU
BFIU has said that the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act will apply to this order to suspend transactions. The letter from the Financial Intelligence Unit contains the names and national identity cards of all those whose accounts have been suspended. In the letter sent to banks and financial institutions, BFIU has also been directed to provide information or documents related to the accounts of these people such as account opening form, KYC and transaction information of suspended accounts to BFIU within two days.
