Hindu priest killed in B’desh, IS claims attack

NEW DELHI: A Hindu priest was hacked to death and two members of the minority community were injured in an attack by unidentified people outside a temple in northern Bangladesh early on Sunday.

Police said the attack was carried by a local militant group, while the Islamic State claimed responsibility in a statement issued via social media.

The police said the attack occurred at Deviganj Upazila of Panchagarh district at 6.30 am when priest Jogeshwar Roy of Sri Sri Shantu Santo Gaurio monastery emerged from the temple on the banks of Karatoa river. At least three unidentified men attacked and killed the 50-year-old priest with sharp weapons.

Local police chief Gias Uddin said the attackers also opened fire and exploded several homemade bombs, injuring Gopal Chandra Roy and Nitai Pada Das, who had come to the temple to pray.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Local residents told police the attackers were unknown to them and came to the temple on a motorcycle. Some of them said they saw three men on the motorcycle flee the area but they did not chase them as they could not understand what had happened.

In recent months, several Christian and Hindu priests have been threatened in Bangladesh. A Christian pastor survived an attack last October.

Last year, an Italian and a Japanese national were killed in similar but separate attacks while four secular bloggers and a publisher were killed, allegedly by radical groups.