Two Hindu monks have been arrested in Bangladesh amid a rising wave of violence targeting the minority community, Chattogram Metropolitan Police confirmed to India Today TV. This follows the arrest of another monk, Chinmoy Krishna Das, earlier this week on sedition charges, which triggered widespread protests from Hindus across the country.

The arrested monks, Rudraproti Kesab Das and Ranga Nath Syama Sundor Das, were detained while attempting to deliver food, medicine, and money to Chinmoy Krishna Das in jail. Sources close to the situation shared that the priests were apprehended by Kotwali police station.

Swatantra Gauranga Das, the principal of Probortak Sangha, mentioned that he received a voice recording from the arrested monks, in which they explained their arrest and subsequent transfer to jail. In the recording, they informed that they had been “apprehended” by the police, and another message revealed they were being sent to jail.

A Bangladeshi police official stated that the monks are currently being treated as suspects in ongoing investigations, though no specific details regarding the case have been provided.

The arrests are part of a broader crackdown on the Hindu community in Bangladesh since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August. Reports indicate that over 200 Hindu temples have been targeted in these attacks.

In a related development, Bangladesh authorities froze the bank accounts of 17 individuals associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), including Chinmoy Krishna Das. This move coincided with a petition filed in the High Court seeking to ban ISKCON, with the Attorney General labeling it as a “religious fundamentalist organisation.” However, the court declined to impose the ban on the global religious group.

The violence against Hindus has sparked protests across the border in Kolkata, where religious groups demonstrated outside the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission. India has expressed strong concern over the increasing violence against minorities, urging the Bangladeshi government to take immediate action to protect their lives and rights.

The Ministry of External Affairs reiterated India’s position, emphasizing that the safety and freedom of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh should be a priority for the Bangladeshi government. "We have consistently raised our concerns about the threats and attacks on minorities, and we urge Bangladesh to take all necessary steps to ensure their protection," the ministry said on Friday.