Indigenous woman’s throat slit in Bangladesh

Sanjoy Kumar Barua

An indigenous woman was found brutally murdered with her throat slit in her house of Bangladesh’s Rajshahi district on Monday, police said.

No one has been arrested in this connection till Wednesday said Sabina Yasmin, additional deputy police commissioner of Rajshahi.

“The body was discovered by neighbours when they visited her at around 8 am and later they informed us”, she said.

The victim Sri Rani,48 who was from indigenous Pahariya community lived at Roy Para area alone after her husband death, the policr official said.

We reovered the body and sent it to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RAMEC) for an autopsy, she added.

No one has claimed responsibility for the killing.

Police could not ascertain the motive behind the killing immediately but it resembles murders of people of different faiths and ideologies said a top police official seeking anonymity.

Police have been investigating the incident keeping in mind possible militant links, among other things,said the police official Sabina.

Killings targeting minorities have gripped the country and made headlines in recent months.

“I tried to know from locals whether the victim who was from Pahariya community had any land-related dispute or personal enmity. But the locals said so far they know there was no such issue”, said Bivuti Bhuson Mahato, Publicity Secretary of Jatiya Adivasi Parishad Center Committee.

Earlier, on September 11 Police recovered the body of 55-year-old Lipika Juliana Gomez, who was from minority community and also an office assistant of Notre Dame College.

Saiful Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sutrapur Police Station, said after getting a call on 999, our team went to the house and found Lipika’s body on the bed in one of the rooms. There were sharp-weapon wounds on the left side of her head, he said.

The houses of different indigenous communities including Santal, Oraon,Pahariya and Munda in the northern districts have reportedly been attacked, vandalised and looted following the fall of Awami League government.

The minority and indigenous people of the country are in a state of fear, with some residents fleeing their homes and hiding to protect their lives, said the indigenous leaders.