The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Kolkata has relieved Radharaman Das of his position as Vice-President along with all other responsibilities in the organisation. He has also been directed not to represent ISKCON before the media, government authorities or in any public forum.
Radharaman Das himself made the announcement through a detailed statement posted on the social media platform X on Sunday. In it, he outlined the reasons allegedly communicated to him by the ISKCON authorities for the action taken against him.
According to the statement, the key grounds include his public statements and media interviews regarding the persecution of Hindus and ISKCON devotees in Bangladesh, as well as his support for Chinmoy Krishna Das, the ISKCON monk currently in jail there. Other reasons cited are the legal notice he had sent to BJP leader Maneka Gandhi in response to her public allegations that ISKCON sells cows to butchers, the cyber complaint filed against comedian Surleen Kaur over her derogatory remarks calling ISKCON devotees “harami and porn-wale”, his public defence of Sanatan Dharma against the “eradicate Sanatan” lobby, and his appearance in a Republic TV interview on May 29 in which he shared a social media post about the historical association of the 1976 New York Rath Yatra with Donald Trump.
I wish to inform well-wishers, devotees, all members of the media and the general public that I have been relieved of all my responsibilities within ISKCON and have also been directed not to represent or speak on behalf of ISKCON before the media, government authorities, or any…
— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) June 28, 2026
Radharaman Das stated that he respects the decision of the ISKCON leadership and will abide by the directions issued to him. He clarified that he would no longer make any comments in the media or represent the organisation in public on these matters and requested journalists and media houses to respect this position.
The action by ISKCON comes amid several controversial statements given by Radharaman Das in recent days regarding the proposal to serve vegetarian mid-day meals in West Bengal government schools. Amid reports that ISKCON could be involved in a pilot project and that eggs might be replaced with vegetarian alternatives such as paneer and soya bean, he had defended the organisation’s vegetarian tradition, pointing out that ISKCON has helped create eight crore vegetarians worldwide and that its founder, Acharya Prabhupada, was himself a Bengali. His remarks had triggered a sharp political and nutritional debate across the state.
His long-standing closeness with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also become a controversial topic in recent months. Radharaman Das was frequently seen with the Chief Minister at various government and religious events and had played a significant role in the construction of the Jagannath Temple in Digha. This association had drawn criticism from political opponents, with figures such as BJP leader Shubhendu Adhikari publicly questioning his involvement in such projects.
In his statement, Radharaman Das expressed gratitude for the affection and support he had received over the years and prayed for the continued growth and success of ISKCON. He ended with the words “Hare Krishna” and “Jai Jagannath”.
