A body was recovered on Saturday at the central crematorium in Bangladesh’s northern district Natore.
According to BBC Bangla, ancient items of bronze, brass, and copper kept in the centuries-old crematorium temple have also been stolen.
Police say that the person whose body was recovered on Saturday morning had been living in the temple for 24 years. His name is Tarun Das. 45-year-old Tarun Das was the son of Kali Chandra Das, who lived in Alaipur, Natore.
Hindu religious organization ISKCON has condemned the incident and appealed for strict action against the culprits.
Sadar Upazila Executive Officer Akhtar Jahan told BBC Bangla that after the incident came to light on Saturday morning, CID and police from Rajshahi visited the spot.
He said, “At first glance, this case seems to be a theft and the murder has been committed by miscreants. The deceased was a little unwell but stayed in the temple at night.”
Temple committee president Subal Das says that Tarun Das did not work in the temple but used to spend the night in the temple for the last 24 years.
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Police said that a case has been registered in this incident and efforts are being made to arrest the people involved in it.
What is the whole matter?
Police officer Mehboob ur Rehman said that Tarun Das’s body was tied tightly with a rope to a bench.
After the body was found, the news of the robbery in the temple spread among the people. Rehman says that initially, he did not think that it was a robbery.
Temple committee president Subal Das says that the crematorium is hundreds of years old and is an important religious place for the people of the Hindu community in the area. Apart from regular daily worship and annual worship, religious ceremonies are organized in the temple every Friday.
He told BBC Bangla, “There is a security guard from morning to evening during the day, but there is no guard at night. This is the reason why the murder must have happened sometime on Friday night.”
He said that Tarun Das had a house in the city but he used to stay at the crematorium at night.
He said, “Whether it was theft or robbery, the people who came broke the grill of the main temple. They entered inside and took many old valuables from the store room. These include bronze, brass and copper items.”
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Akhtar Jahan said that it is possible that the thieves tied him tightly when he made noise and he died due to lying for a long time after getting injured, but the real reason will be clear only after the post-mortem.
The police said that the crematorium area is isolated and there is less movement of people and drug users are often found in this area.
What did ISKCON say?
ISKCON Kolkata Vice President Radharam Das has expressed grief over the Natore incident.
In a post on the social media platform X, he said, “I was shocked to know that a person was murdered in a temple in Natore and all the valuables were looted from the temple. Tarun Chandra Das was brutally murdered and his body was recovered with his hands and legs tied.”
“This incident has raised concerns about the safety of minorities in that area. Even Hindu crematoriums, which are considered a place of final peace, are also falling prey to such crimes.”
In another post, he said that the Indian government has confirmed 2,200 such incidents against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh till December 8.
This week, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Lok Sabha that till December 8 this year, there have been 2,200 incidents of violence against Hindus and other minority communities in Bangladesh.
ISKCON has condemned the incident and said that the interim government of the country has failed to provide security to religious minorities, who have been facing persecution and killings since the departure of Sheikh Hasina.
Attacks on minorities in Bangladesh
Since the fall of the Awami League’s Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh on August 5 this year, there has been an increase in attacks on the homes and properties of Hindus and members of minority communities in many areas of the country.
The office of the Chief Advisor of the Interim Government Mohammad Yunus informed on December 10 that 70 people have been arrested in 88 cases of violence targeting minorities in the country from August 5 to October 22.
A case has also been registered regarding the incidents that occurred after this. The office said that the police is also making a list of such incidents.
The Chief Advisor’s press secretary Shafikul Alam said in a press conference, “The number of arrests will increase now. One or two more incidents may increase as there was an incident in Sunamganj. Incidents have occurred at some places in Chittagong, Turag and Narsingdi of Dhaka.” After the arrest of Chinmay Krishna Das, who was formerly associated with Bangladesh ISKCON and spokesperson of Sanatani Jagran Jot, allegations of atrocities and oppression have been leveled against Sanatan followers.
In November last month, Chinmay Krishna Das was arrested on charges of sedition and was sent to jail, which further increased the tension between India and Bangladesh.
Since August 5, the Sanatani Jagran Jot organization has been organizing protests against the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.
After his arrest, the demand for banning ISKCON in Bangladesh intensified, although the High Court had rejected the petition filed with this demand.
The Bangladesh government has from the very beginning described the news being published in the Indian media about oppression and violence against minorities as exaggerated propaganda.
Tension between India and Bangladesh
The tension between India and Bangladesh over the oppression of minorities is not decreasing.
On the one hand, on the same day when the figures of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh were released in the Indian Parliament, the press wing of Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus said that “the information is misleading and exaggerated.” The statement said, “According to the independent human rights organization Law and Arbitration Center ‘Ain O Salish Kendra’, there were 138 incidents of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh from January to November 2024. In which 368 houses were attacked and 82 people were injured.”
“According to the Police Headquarters, at least 97 cases were registered between August 4 and December 10, and 75 people were arrested for attacks on religious minorities since August.”
This month, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka and among all the issues, the issue of safety of minorities was also raised by India.
However, Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary indirectly advised India to refrain from commenting on their internal affairs.
The tension between the two countries increased further after August 5 when Bangladesh interim government advisor Mahfuz Alam in one of his social media posts showed several states of Northeast India including West Bengal in the map of Bangladesh.
Although this post was later deleted, India reacted strongly to it.
