Calls for minority protection, impartial justice and the release of Chinmoy Krishna Das accompany festivities

OTN Bangla, Australia: Alongside worship, cultural performances and festive gatherings, Durga Puja celebrations at several venues across Australia have highlighted concerns about the safety and rights of minorities in Bangladesh. Banners and posters condemned communal violence, called for impartial justice and demanded the release of Chinmoy Krishna Das.

During visits to different Puja venues, OTN Bangla observed banners displayed beside Durga idols and at entrances. They commemorated people described as victims of violence and urged solidarity in support of Chinmoy Krishna Das’s release.

One banner carried the message “Remembering the lives we lost,” accompanied by an appeal not to forget their stories. It displayed names and photographs alongside a call to stand against communal violence in Bangladesh.

Another demanded Chinmoy Krishna Das’s immediate and unconditional release, protection of his rights, justice and a fair judicial process. It also called for urgent intervention by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The banner stated that he had spent “nearly 700 days in jail.” That duration is reported here as a claim made on the banner. Both banners bore the name of the Australian Federation for Ethnic and Religious Minorities in Bangladesh Ltd (AFERMB).

Speaking from Sydney, AFERMB director Amal Dutta said several thousand people had signed a petition seeking Chinmoy Krishna Das’s release. The organisation plans to submit the petition to the Bangladesh government. He expressed hope that the government would act promptly to secure his release.

Another director, Victoria-based Associate Professor Dr Biplab Roy, also strongly urged the government to release Chinmoy Krishna Das.

The displays brought concerns about minority rights into the celebrations, combining remembrance of those lost with calls for justice and solidarity with people facing persecution.

Meanwhile, in correspondence cited in the report, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia would continue to advocate for the universal human rights of ethnic and religious minorities in Bangladesh.

Her response followed a letter dated 19 August 2026 from Australian MP Julian Leeser, who raised AFERMB’s concerns about the detention of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari.

In her reply, Wong acknowledged that allegations of human rights violations against ethnic and religious minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, were a matter of deep concern to members of Australia’s Bangladeshi community.

HRCBM Report: 2026

According to the cited report by the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM), 824 incidents were documented over a six-month period. These comprised:

• 234 incidents involving land grabbing, attacks on property, arson and looting;
• 223 incidents involving abduction and physical assault;
• 168 incidents involving killings and deaths under unexplained circumstances;
• 141 incidents involving attacks on and vandalism of temples and religious institutions;
• 41 incidents involving sexual violence, rape and gang rape; and
• 17 incidents related to allegations of religious defamation.

The figures represent incidents documented and categorised by HRCBM. Various international human rights organisations have also expressed concern about continuing persecution of minorities in Bangladesh.