Religious tensions are high in Bangladesh following violence over the arrest of a Hindu religious leader in the southern city of Chittagong.

After Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das was denied bail on charges of sedition on Tuesday for allegedly insulting Bangladesh's flag during a rally in October, police said hundreds of his supporters clashed with security forces as a van took Das back to jail. A Muslim lawyer, Saiful Islam Alif, was killed during the clash, officials said.

After the incident, some Muslim groups have suggested cracking down on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), an international Hindu organization.

Although Bangladesh ISKCON said on November 28 that religious leader Das was expelled from the organization in July for disciplinary issues, ICKSON's Bangladesh president, Satya Ranjan Barai, told the AFP news agency on Friday that Das "defied the order and continued his activities."

Nevertheless, both Bangladesh ISKCON and Global ISKCON also issued statements condemning the arrest.

Religious relations have been turbulent in Muslim-majority Bangladesh since the government of Sheikh Hasina was toppled after student-led protests in August. She fled to India after the protests.

An interim government has taken over and is in charge of setting up policies to be........

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