Body of Hindu priest found in Bangladesh temple, ISKCON condemns

The deceased person was identified as 55-year-old Tarun Kumar Dash.

Police suspect the Hindu priest was allegedly killed by suspected criminals who barged into the temple and even looted cash and valuables on Friday night.

The crematorium and temple management committee's General Secretary Satyanarayan Roy told The Daily Star that the crematorium staffers and guards completed evening rituals on Friday and subsequently left the temple after locking it like other days.

The staff of the temple recovered the body on Saturday.

"I got a phone call from one of our temple's staffers at around 9:00am. I rushed to the spot and found that the body's hands and legs were tied with rope," Roy told the newspaper.

"The temple's donation box was broken, and the cash was looted. Utensils made of brass that were used for puja and other rituals were looted. These utensils weighing around three to four mounds are worth around Tk 200,000," he said.

ISKCON condemns

ISKCON priest and spokesperson Radharamn Das said the incident left him 'shocked'.

"Shocked to hear about the attack on the temple located in #Natore's Kashimpur Central Shmashana in Bangladesh. Valuables were looted, and the temple's shebait, Tarun Chandra Das, was brutally murdered," Das posted on X.

"His lifeless body was discovered with his hands and feet tied. Even Hindu crematoriums are not safe," he said.

ISKCON has been targeted in Bangladesh in recent times following the collapse of former PM Sheikh Hasina-led administration amid protests against her.

There has been a spike in atrocities against Hindu community members ever since the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government came to power in the Muslim-majority country.

Tension was raised in the nation after Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested on sedition charges, causing massive protests by the minority community members in the country.