A Christian and a Hindu have been murdered in Bangladesh, the latest in a spate of attacks targeting religious minorities in the country.
On 5 June, a Christian grocer named
Sunil Gomez was murdered inside his shop in a Christian neighbourhood in the
district of Natore. On 7 June, Ananda Gopal Ganuli, a Hindu religious leader,
was killed in Jhenaidah after performing his regular religious rites in a
temple in the Naldanga area, where he served as a priest.
Attacks on religious minorities by
extremist groups in Bangladesh have escalated rapidly in recent months. The
perpetrators were allegedly armed with sharp weapons. According to unconfirmed
reports, responsibility for the murders was claimed by Daesh (Islamic State).
William Proloy Samadder, Organising Secretary
of the Bangladesh Christian Association, said: “We used to consider such
attacks as isolated incidents but now it has become a matter of grave concern. We
have restricted our movements.”
Advocate Rana Dasgupta, Secretary
General of the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council of Bangladesh, told
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW): “The entire community has been terrorised
and are feeling very insecure. We are not seeing any active role by the
political parties to find solutions of these problems that we are facing.”
Also killed on 5 June was the wife of a
senior police officer, Police Superintendent Babul Aktar, who was well-known
for his involvement in the successful arrests of a number of members of the
outlawed extremist group, Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). His wife, Mahmuda
Aktar Mitu, was stabbed and shot dead in the city of Chittagong as she took her
six year-old son to school.
In a speech
in Parliament on 8 June, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina vowed that those
responsible for the targeted killings of religious minorities “will not get
away with it.”
CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas
said: “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of Mahmuda Aktar
Mitu, Sunil Gomex and Ananda Gopal Ganuli. CSW is deeply concerned at the
continued spate of attacks targeting religious minorities and proponents of
liberal thought in Bangladesh. While we welcome Prime Minister Hasina’s pledge
to hold the perpetrators to account, the government must follow speech with
action. Those responsible for these attacks must be arrested and prosecuted to
bring an end to impunity and to ensure that justice is upheld for all citizens
of Bangladesh, regardless of their religion. We also urge the government to provide
security to those individuals and communities who, by nature of their religion,
are most at risk of imminent attack.”