A Hindu temple caretaker was found hanging from a tree days after he went missing in southeastern Bangladesh, triggering demands for strict action from minority groups even as police probe whether it was murder or suicide.
The body of Nayan Sadhu, 40, was recovered from a hilly area on the outskirts of a village in Cox’s Bazar district, three days after he was allegedly taken away by two unidentified men on April 19.
Sadhu, a resident of the Dohazari area under Sthania Upazila in Chhattogram district, worked as a caretaker-cum-priest at a Shivakali temple in Khurushkul union.
According to police and local residents, two men took him with them on the evening of April 19. His body was found hanging from a tree three days later.
“We recovered the body when it had started getting decomposed,” a police official was quoted as saying by local media.
Police have not confirmed whether the death was a case of murder or suicide. The body has been sent for post-mortem to determine the exact cause.
DEMAND FOR ACTION
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council condemned the incident and called for immediate arrests.
“The Unity Council strongly condemns the incident and demands immediate arrest and exemplary punishment against the perpetrators,” the organisation said in a statement.
Senior member Kajal Debnath questioned the motive behind the killing. “We just cannot understand what could be the motive of killing an ordinary caretaker of a relatively small temple in a remote area,” he said.
The Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council’s Cox’s Bazar unit also raised concerns, with general secretary Jony Dhar saying the circumstances pointed towards murder.
PROBE UNDERWAY
Police launched an investigation after Sadhu’s wife filed a missing person’s complaint on April 19.
The case comes amid concerns flagged by minority groups. Earlier, the Unity Council said 133 incidents of communal violence were reported between January 1 and March 31 this year in Bangladesh.
Authorities are awaiting the autopsy report as part of the ongoing investigation.
With inputs from PTI
