» 01/13/2014 BANGLADESH Rajshahi: Islamists kill young Catholic who complained about anti-Christian violence by Sumon Corraya Ovidio Marandy, an ethnic Santhal, died last Saturday in Gobindoganj (northern Bangladesh). He had organised a demonstration in his village after Islamic extremists had set it on fire to punish Christians for voting in the 5 January election.
Dhaka (AsiaNews)
- Islamists murdered Ovidio Marandy, a young ethnic Santhal Catholic man, last Saturday
in Gobindoganj, Gaibandha district (northern Bangladesh). His
funeral was held today in the Beneedwar parish church.
A native of Beneedwar
Parish (Diocese of Rajshahi), the young man was the younger brother of Fr Samson
Marandy, a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Dinajpur.
According to his
brother and other family members, Muslim radicals wanted to punish the young
man, a well-known figure in the local Catholic community, because he had
recently organised a demonstration in his village against Islamist violence.
"Ovidio
was very brave, and was famous in his community. We are shocked by what
happened," said Fr Proshanto Gomes, a local priest. "Christians have the right
to vote. Why are Islamists attacking us? We want peace."