Gupal Ganguli was a priest in the Hindu temple of Noldanga. His body was found this morning and investigations do not exclude the case of another murder of Islamic origin. The Christians of the village of Bonpara, where two days ago a Catholic merchant was killed, live in fear. Bishop of Rajshahi: "It is unacceptable to be forced to live in fear."
Natore (AsiaNews) - This morning Bangladesh police found the lifeless body of Gupal Ganguli, the Hindu priest of the Noldanga temple, in Jhenaidah district (in the southwestern part of the country). The priest was lying on the ground with his throat cut and his head almost severed from his body. Investigations are still ongoing, and investigators do not rule out the hypothesis that this is another murder of Islamic origin, such as the recent murder of the Christian shop owner in Bonpara (video). Now Christians of the village live in constant fear of fresh violence.
The last attack against a member of the religious minorities in Bangladesh occurred today around 9 am (local time). The priest is the latest victim of a long trail of blood left in recent months by various groups of Islamic extremists linked to the militants of the Islamic Caliphate and al-Qaeda.
For months Islamic extremists have been targeting activists, bloggers, professors, members of the LGBT community for their liberal ideas. Only two days ago in the village of Bonpara radicals killed Sunil Gomes, 71, a Christian known among the residents for its commitment to the local Catholic church. The murder was claimed by ISIS and the police arrested Md Sabuj Ali, who is suspected of involvement.
Stalla Rozario, a neighbor of Sunil, the first to find his body, says he cannot forget the image of his murdered friend. Speaking to AsiaNews he said: "I do not want to remember, but my memory keeps returning to that moment. Now we do not open the windows of the house and we keep the door shut before nightfall. We are afraid".
Like him, other Christians of Bangladesh fear for their lives. A woman of the same village, anonymous for security reasons, said: "Who can guarantee security? As soon as we see a new person around here, we feel insecure. "
Fr. Bikash Rebeiro, the pastor of Bonpara, reports: "Police officers were guarding the church, but we do not want to live under guard. We want to live in a free country, and we want everyone to be guaranteed security against fundamentalists. "
The priest adds that "the government should be tougher with groups that seek to destroy peace". Msgr. Gervas Rozario, Bishop of Rajshahi, complains: "We Christians are in danger. It is unacceptable to feel so insecure".
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