The Forum for Protection of Minorities in Bangladesh (FPMB), an association of various temple management groups and intellectuals, has announced its third protest programme to lodge protest against alleged crimes committed on religious and ethnic minorities in the neighbouring country. The group has called for a ‘Long March’ on December 28 to express their anger over the violence and ongoing detention of former International Society for Krishna Consciousness official Chinmoy Krishna Das.

This call is similar to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s December 11 ‘Long March to Agartala’ in protest against the vandalism and disrespect shown to the national flag of Bangladesh at its Assistant High Commission in Agartala earlier this month.

The Assistant High Commissioner of the diplomatic mission, Arif Muhammad, was summoned to Dhaka shortly after the incident. However, the Bangladesh MEA website still lists him as the head of the mission in Agartala.

The protests by temple organisations, which began after the fall of the Awami League government over alleged persecution of minorities, intensified since the arrest of Mr. Das. Daily demonstrations have not been occurring for a week now.

The FPMB’s ‘Long March’ on December 28 will end at the Agartala Integrated Check Post (ICP), the organisers said on Thursday assuring that the rally will not attempt to breach the border. Police sources have stated that all processions directed to the ICP are being halted two kilometres from the border and this will also apply to the FPMB’s rally.