Christian grocer hacked to death

MNA National Desk: Christian grocer was hacked to death in the northwest district of Natore. Police said 60-year-old Sunil Gomes was attacked at a Christian neighborhood in the district’s Barhaigram Upazila.

He was murdered inside his shop, which is adjacent to his home. The assailants hacked him there, leaving him dead, said Shymol Kumar Mukharjee, superintendent of police in Natore. The body had several wounds inflicted by sharp weapons.

“Family members rushed to the shop when they heard him screaming and found him in a pool of blood. He was taken to a local hospital where the doctors declared him dead,” said local police’s Sub Inspector Dayal Kumar.

There were hacking marks in his neck. Law enforcers picked up Sabuz Hossain, 35-year-old, a tenant of Sunil, on suspicion over the killing. The area where Sunil, father of two, lived for years is predominantly Christian. His grocery shop was adjacent to his house, said locals.

Inam Ahmed, inspector of the Criminal Investigation Department in Rajshahi, who visited the crime scene, said the attack had similarities with previous militant attacks on free thinkers and people belonging to differing faiths.

Mentioning to Amaq News Agency, the media wing of IS, SITE Intelligence on its website posted: “IS fighters in Bangladesh killed a Christian in Bonpara village….”

In the same post, IS also claimed accountability for the killing of a Buddhist monk in Bandarban. Shwe U Chak was found dead, with his throat slit, inside his Kyang (temple) in Naikkhangchhari upazila on May 14.

Protesting the killing, local Christian community held a rally around 04:30pm at Bonpara Bazar and blocked the Bonpara-Pabna highway for about half an hour. They wanted immediate arrest of the killers and threatened to wage tougher programs otherwise.

Speaking at the rally, Benedict Gomez, secretary of Bonpara Parish Council, said criminals hacked another Christian Gabriel Costa in the past.But police were yet to find the attackers, he alleged. If the criminals were caught, Sunil Gomez might not have been killed, he added.

KM Zakir Hossain, mayor of Bonpara municipality, said Sunil was a gentleman who never quarreled with anyone. Sushanta Ghosh, secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddha Christian Oikya Parishad, Natore unit, condemned the killing.

The northern division has been plagued by at least 15 untoward incidents for the past seven months that relate to militancy and resulted in death of at least six people including a foreigner.