A reported incident involving visitors at Mayapur ISKCON has raised concerns about visitor safety, language accessibility and complaint handling, but the central allegations remain unverified and the identities or institutional affiliations of the alleged offenders have not been established.
According to a report published by Sangbad Pratidin, a family of nine visited the Mayapur ISKCON complex in Nadia district on 7 October. The family reportedly included a daughter, son-in-law and two children who live in Australia. The visitors were in Bengal together and had travelled to Mayapur as part of the trip.
The report said the family purchased bhog prasad coupons at Rs 50 per person, paying for nine visitors in total. They were then shown around the complex by a man who, according to the family, spoke in Hindi. The visitors allegedly requested that he speak in Bengali because the children understood Bengali and English but did not understand Hindi.
The family claimed that the man refused to speak any language other than Hindi and asked them to leave in a rude manner. They subsequently decided to report the matter at the Mayapur ISKCON office. According to the account cited by Sangbad Pratidin, security personnel directed them to the office to make their complaint.
The report said one person at the office initially heard the complaint and allegedly told the visitors that if there had been a mistake, he was sorry, asking them to share any video so that the matter could be reported to senior authorities. The family further alleged that another person later arrived and spoke to them in an insulting and aggressive manner.
The visitors also alleged that, while they were leaving the office, one person attempted to assault them and that they were pressured to delete a video shared on social media. The family said security guards behaved politely with them. These claims are based on the family’s account as reported by Sangbad Pratidin and have not been independently confirmed in the supplied material.
The report stated that a video related to the incident had circulated on social media, but Sangbad Pratidin explicitly said it had not verified the video’s authenticity. It also said there was no response from Mayapur ISKCON authorities at the time of publication. The report did not establish whether the people accused of mistreating the visitors were employees, volunteers, contractors or otherwise affiliated with ISKCON.
The incident highlights a practical challenge for high-footfall religious and tourist destinations: visitor-facing services must provide clear communication and accessible complaint mechanisms for people from different linguistic backgrounds. However, the available account does not establish whether the alleged conduct occurred as described, who was responsible, or what formal action, if any, the institution has taken.
The visitors have reportedly sought appropriate action. Confirmation from Mayapur ISKCON, authentication of the video and an account from the people named or accused in connection with the incident would be necessary before the allegations can be treated as established facts.
