Hindu priest hacked to death in Bangladesh

HAROON HABIB The Hindu

A Hindu priest has been hacked to death in Bangladesh’s Jhenaidah on Friday, the latest in a series of attacks on religious minorities by suspected Islamists.

Three weeks ago, another Hindu priest was killed in similar way in the same western district.

Shyamananda Das, 62, who was serving at the Sri Sri Radha Madan Gopal temple in Uttar Kastasagara village in Jhenaidah for the past several years, was killed by three men who came on a motorcycle, said the police.
The attack bears similarities to the killing of Ananda Gopal Ganguly, a 69-year-old priest, on June 7 in Jhenaidah Sadar’s Mahishdanga village.

According to the police, the latest murder took place at around 5:20 am on Friday when the priest was picking flowers for puja outside the temple. The attackers rained multiple blows on his head and neck with sharp weapons.

Das was rushed to the Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital by the locals, but doctors declared him dead.

Minister promises action
Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters on Friday that the law enforcers will be able to catch the killers “soon”. Several Bangladesh analysts say the killing of Hindu religious leaders in the country is a focused attempt by the Islamists to create misunderstanding between India and Bangladesh at a time when bilateral relations are at its peak.

In another incident, unidentified assailants hacked a local Awami League leader Mong Shwe Lung Marma, 55, to death in Bandarban on Thursday night. Marma was attacked at night at Smshankhola area when he was returning home.