Man Behind Bangladesh's Tallest Ram Statue Arrested On Fraud Charges

Bangladesh has arrested the man behind the construction of a controversial 81-foot-high Lord Ram statue on charges of money laundering.

Haridas Chandra Tarani Das was arrested in the late hours of July 12, from the Gaibandha district in Bangladesh and was sent to police remand.

Das, who had proposed building an 81-foot statue of Lord Ram at the Sri Sri Radha Gobinda Kali Temple in Palashbari in Gaibandha, has been arrested in a money laundering case involving suspicious financial transactions worth Tk9.35 crore, the police said.

The news was confirmed by the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council, which condemned the police action against the man.

Following the arrest, he was transferred to Dhaka.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) announced Das' arrest after filing a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act over suspicious financial transactions.

The police said Das was also known as Touhid Islam and he came under investigation after authorities found suspicious transactions in his bank and MFS accounts despite having no legitimate source of income. The police say that its preliminary investigation found evidence of Das' alleged involvement in laundering local and foreign currency and organised crime.

The CID said he had allegedly travelled illegally to India for education and training before returning to Bangladesh in 2010 and converted to Islam in 2019 and adopted the name Touhid Islam, local media in Bangladesh reported.

Das protested against the arrest during a court hearing. "If managing a temple makes me criminal, then there is nothing I can do," he said.

Das added that the money in question had been donated by devotees and urged authorities to verify whether it had been used for any unlawful purpose.

The arrest comes weeks after tension in Bangladesh over the construction of a 81-feet statue of Lord Ram statue by Chandra at the Sri Sri Radha Govinda and Kali Temple in Palashbari Upazila of the Gaibandha district.

The temple authorities ultimately suspended the construction of the statue, but sparked concerns over religious freedom in the country. Chandra had said the work was paused after Islamist radical groups threatened those involved with the project.

His July 12 arrest was condemned by the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council, which demanded his immediate release.

"The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has strongly condemned and expressed deep concern over the arrest of Haridas Chandra Tarani Das, who recently drew public attention after proposing the construction of an 81-foot-tall statue of Lord Rama within the premises of the Sri Sri Radhagobinda Kali Temple in Palashbari, Gaibandha," it said.

In a press statement issued by its Central Committee, the Council stated that for a considerable period, "extremist communal groups have opposed the proposed statue, hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community, and spread unwarranted religious hostility across the country."

The statement noted that the authorities took no action against such groups and instead arrested Das "who has himself been the target of communal threats and intimidation".

The Indian government had earlier last month taken note of the unrest in Bangladesh involving minority communities.

On June 23, India strongly urged Bangladesh to initiate decisive action against radical Islamist outfits and guarantee the absolute protection of minority communities.

Latei, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal expressed New Delhi's deep concern over the escalating targeting of religious institutions and symbols.

"We have seen reports from Bangladesh regarding acts of desecration involving Hindu deities and their images, which have sparked protests. We expect the Bangladeshi government to curb the extremists there and guarantee the safety of the minority community," Jaiswal stated.