Hindu priest murdered

A Hindu priest died on Saturday, a day after he was stabbed by a local youth in Tungipara of Gopalganj.

Police arrested the youth identified as Shariful Sheikh, 25, in the murder case filed by the victim's son.

The dead, Paramananda Roy, 70, of Dakkhin Bashuria village under Kushali union, used to read out to people from religious books at different programmes in the area, family members said.

He was returning home on Friday afternoon from a market near Gimadanga village. As he reached a bridge around 6:30pm, Shariful stabbed him in the abdomen and the right hand with a knife, the victim told his family members before his death.

Local people rushed him to Tungipara Upazila Health Complex, from where he was shifted to Khulna Medical College Hospital, said the priest's grandson Mukesh.

As his condition deteriorated, he was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he died around noon on Saturday.

Paramananda's son Prafullah Roy filed the case with Tungipara Police Station against three people, including Shariful as the prime accused.

Police were investigating to find out whether Shariful had any link to militancy, said Shushanto Kumar, sub-inspector of the police station.

Meanwhile, the priest was buried at his village home.