Hindu temple caretaker found hanging in B’desh

Dhaka: A Hindu temple caretaker was found hanging from a tree in southeastern Bangladesh on Saturday, three days after he went missing, according to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council. The minority group has sought stern action against those responsible for the death of Nayan Sadhu, 40. Sadhu, a Dohazari resident, served as a priest at the Shivakali temple in Cox’s Bazar Sadar Upazila.

According to residents and police, two unidentified men took him from his home on the April 19 evening. His body was discovered in a hilly area on the outskirts of the village.

A police official quoted by the Kaler Kantha newspaper said the body was decomposed. While the council and minority leaders suspect murder, police are unable to confirm if it was murder or suicide. An autopsy is pending to determine the exact cause.

BHBCUC sought “immediate arrest and exemplary punishment” for the perpetrators. Kajal Debnath, a senior member of the council, expressed confusion over the motive, noting Sadhu was an ordinary caretaker of a small, remote temple. 

Jony Dhar, general secretary of Cox’s Bazar unit of the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council, suggested the 3-day disappearance points to murder. Sadhu’s wife filed a missing person’s report on April 19. Notably, the council reported 133 cases of communal violence in the first three months of 2026.

—PTI