“Extremist”

                    Bhagwad  Gita faces a ban in Russia

Moscow: Bhagwad Gita, the Hindu scripture cited the world over as a philosophy of life and living, faces the prospect of a  ban across Russia with a Siberian court set to rule on Monday on whether it qualifies as “extremist” literature.

The case, which has been on in a court in Tomsk city since June, seeks a ban on a Russian translation of “Bhagwad Gita As It Is”, written by A C  Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon).

The prosecution wants the Gita banned across Russia, declared as a literature spreading “ social discord “, and its distribution in Russia made illegal.

The issue has sparked outrage among the Indian community in Moscow, numbering about 15,000, and Iskcon followers, who have appealed to the Indian government to intervene diplomatically to resolve the issue.

“ We want all efforts from the Indian government to protect the religious rights of Hindus in Russia, “ Sadhu Priya Das of Iskcon and a devotee of a 40- year- old  Krishna temple in central Moscow, said.

n  Sunday Times,Dec,18,2011