Hindu priest murdered
4 held over attack on Panchagarh temple, IS group claims credit
Staff Reporter
A priest was stabbed to death and a devotee injured in an attack on a Hindu temple in Debiganj upazila in
Panchagarh yesterday morning. The two murderers could not be identified.
Police officers suspect that banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and other like-minded terrorist groups carried out the attack. Their assumption is based on the style of sharp weapons and small arms used. Police also detained four people for their suspected involvement in the murder.
Meanwhile, the so-called Islamic State group has claimed that it was behind the beheading of the senior Hindu priest and wounding two worshippers in northern Bangladesh, said a BBC report. In a statement IS said that caliphate soldiers carried out the assaults using light weapons. The IS-linked Amaq news agency also reported the claim, said the BBC report.
According to Gias Uddin Ahmad, superintendent of police in Panchagarh, Jogeshwar Das Adhikari (50), was the priest of Sri Sri Shantu Santo Gaurio Math on the bank of the Karatoa river. The injured devotee, Gopal Chandra Roy (32), was admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital. His condition was stated to be stable. Quoting witnesses, police said that the two unidentified assailants started pelting stones at the temple around 6.30am. When the priest came out to find out what was happening, the duo stabbed him repeatedly and left him dead on the spot.
While fleeing, the assailants fired several gunshots and hurled crude bombs, leaving Roy injured. Another devotee, Nirmal Chandra, fell ill after watching the grisly murder and was admitted to the local hospital.
Md Humayun Kabir, DIG of Rangpur Range, said they are investigating the incident, but no one has been arrested yet. No case has been filed yet in this connection, he added.
Roy told reporters that he was working in the temple kitchen around 6.30 am when he suddenly heard shouts. I did not suspect anything amiss initially. I was singing as I worked. But then I heard the voice again and realised it was Guruji, he said.
I came out of the kitchen to see what was happening. I saw two persons in pants and hoodies, he narrated.
One of them suddenly pointed a pistol at me and said, You seem to be in very good mood. You were singing. And then, they started shooting at me. I threw myself on the floor to dodge the bullets. But two bullets injured my left hand. I did not think I would survive the attack, he added in fear-stricken voice. When I saw them reloading the pistol, I ran to the temple wall and climbed over. I heard several rounds of bullets being fired and a blast. I later came to know that there were three assailants. Of them, two made the attack as the third waited with their bike, he said.
Dr Mostafizur Rahman, the on-duty doctor at Rangpur Medical College, said they did not find any bullets in Roys hand. We will treat him over the next two days, and if his condition deteriorates, we may refer him to Dhaka, he added.
Roys wife Kujnti Rani Sarker said, We fear that when we take him home, the murderers may try to kill my husband again.
Some locals are also worried about further attacks in the area, while others fear harassment by police during investigation. Nondon Kukar Sasha, a local businessman, said, We (Hindus and Muslims) have been living in the area very peacefully side by side, but this murder has left us worried.
