Bangladesh Hindu Death: Abducted Temple Priest Found Hanged In Cox’s Bazar A Month After Spiritual Leader Was Beaten To Death

Dhaka: Another death of a Hindu man has shaken Bangladesh’s minority community after the body of a temple priest was discovered mysteriously hanging from a tree in Chattogram's Cox Bazar. The incident has stirred fresh demands for accountability, with rights groups warning of a deepening sense of fear. Shockingly, the mysterious death of a Hindu priest surfaced a month after a spiritual leader was beaten to death in Bangladesh's Kushtia. 

The deceased, identified as 40-year-old Nayan Sadhu, had been missing from his home in Dohazari, under Sthania Upazila of Chattogram district, for the past 3 days. According to reports, Nayan Sadhu served as both caretaker and priest at a Shivakali temple in Khurushkul union, located in Cox’s Bazar Sadar Upazila. The priest's death was confirmed late on Saturday by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC).

The Bangladeshi minority groups claimed that Nayan's case comes barely a month after a spiritual leader was beaten to death by a mob in Kushtia district, adding to a pattern of violence termed as disturbingly routine, as per the minority organisations.

Abducted Before Being Found Dead

According to police and local residents, Sadhu was last seen on the evening of April 19 when two unidentified men took him from his home. As per reports, his family had no word of Sadhu's whereabouts for 3 days. On the third day, his body was found hanging from a tree in a hilly area on the outskirts of the village.

The BHBCUC said the circumstances of his death were deeply suspicious and called for “stern action against the perpetrators”. The Bangladesh police have opened an investigation, though no arrests have been made so far and the identities of the two men who took Sadhu remain unknown.

Reports suggested that Sadhu was known locally as a quiet man who tended to the temple and led daily prayers, and his sudden disappearance and death have left neighbours anxious and grieving.

Rising Tide Of Intolerance And Mob Attacks

Muslim-majority Bangladesh has witnessed a shocking rise in religious intolerance and mob violence since the 2024 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The political unrest, which ended Hasina’s rule and saw her flee to India, has been followed by a surge in attacks on minorities and perceived dissenters.

In April this year, Shamim Reza Jahangir, a spiritual leader believed to be in his 60s, died after hundreds of people stormed his residence in Kushtia. The mob was reportedly angered by an old video that resurfaced online, in which he allegedly claimed that those who wrote the Quran were illiterate and those who read it were worse off.

Dhaka-based rights organisation Odhikar reported that at least 153 people were killed in mob violence between August 2024, when Hasina’s government fell, and September 2025. The country, home to 170 million people, has seen repeated reports of vigilante attacks, often triggered by allegations of blasphemy or disputes aired on social media.

The BHBCUC has urged authorities to treat Sadhu’s death not as a suicide but as a possible murder, and to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.