Hindu School Teacher, Mediating Land Dispute, Beaten To Death In Bangladesh

A school teacher from the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh was killed after being struck with sticks while attempting to mediate a land and road dispute in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh on Sunday.

The incident took place in Parbatipur upazila of Dinajpur on Sunday. The local police have arrested one person in connection with the incident.

The school teacher who died was identified as Manoranjan Roy, 55, an assistant head teacher at Chak Sukdebpur Government Primary School, while the arrested accused has been identified as 32-year-old Asaduzzaman.

Additional police personnel have been deployed at the scene to prevent a flare-up even as local police authorities say the situation escalated after an argument over disputed land, following which the accused attacked Manoranjan Roy with a stick repeatedly. Manoranjan Roy collapsed after the assault and is believed to have died on the spot. Roy's body has been sent to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.

Manoranjan Roy reportedly intervened to calm down the two sides involved in the argument but was allegedly attacked despite having nothing to do with the dispute.

According to police, Asaduzzaman's family had been involved in a dispute over a road adjacent to the residence of the late Azizul Master in Mollapara village. A reconciliation meeting between the two parties was held on Sunday afternoon to settle the dispute over the land and the road. Manoranjan Roy attended the meeting as a respected figure in the area but was attacked as he tried to intervene to calm tempers.

While the incident has no communal angle, minorities in Bangladesh say they remain vulnerable amidst attacks against members of the Hindu community. Dinajpur is a border district and the area has seen sectarian and communal violence in the recent past.

In April this year, a temple dedicated to Goddess Kali and its adjoining crematorium were vandalised and set on fire while a Christian cemetery was attacked. That attack was orchestrated by Rezaul Islam, a local land shark. Hardline Islamist forces have also gained ground in the region, leaving minorities more insecure in the region.