Fact Check: Chinmoy Das sexually assaulted Hindu woman in Bangladesh? No, video shows priest from Rajasthan

Hyderabad: On November 25, Chinmoy Krishna Das, a Vaishnavite leader and former member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Bangladesh, was arrested by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police on charges of sedition. His arrest has sparked protests in Dhaka’s Shahbagh neighbourhood and Chittagong, with demonstrators demanding his release. The demand for his release is also growing in India, where many supporters are calling for justice.

Amid this backdrop, a video has been circulating on social media, allegedly showing a man in saffron robes sexually assaulting a woman in a car. The text on the video appears to appeal to the protection of Muslim women, but those sharing it claim it shows Chinmoy Krishna Das assaulting a Hindu woman.

An X user shared the video and wrote, “Chinmoy Krishna Das, leader of Iskcon Bangladesh, caught trying to rape a Hindu girl in Sylhet. This ‘saviour of Hindus’ proves even local Hindus aren’t safe from Iskcon, a terrorist organisation.” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video shows Baba Balaknath from Rajasthan allegedly sexually assaulting a woman after intoxicating her.

Upon conducting a reverse image search of the video’s keyframes, we found video reports showing the same visuals published by ABP News, First India News and Rajasthan Patrika on October 20-21. According to media outlets, the incident happened in Rajasthan’s Sikar. The accused identified as Baba Balaknath allegedly drugged the woman and raped her. The driver of the car reportedly recorded the video.

According to an NDTV report dated October 22, the victim alleged that she was introduced to Baba Balaknath with the assurance that he could resolve her family problems. She claimed she was given a sweet laced with drugs and was raped three times after consuming it.

Hindustan Times in an article dated October 23 reported the woman was introduced to Baba Balaknath by a man named Rajesh during a visit to the Kshetrapal Temple in Khedi Datunjala. The priest allegedly promised to resolve her family issues through a religious practice known as ‘tantra vidya’. On the day of the incident, the priest reportedly drugged and raped her multiple times, while his driver, Yogesh, recorded the assault on video.