Hindu priest in Bangladesh hacked to death

DHAKA: Suspected militants in Bangladesh hacked an elderly Hindu priest to death on Tuesday, in what police suspected was the latest in a spate of attacks by extremists on minority groups in the majority-Muslim country.

Three attackers riding on a motorcycle killed Ananta Gopal Ganguly, 70, when he was on his way to the temple he served in Jhenaidah district, about 100 miles (161 km) west of Dhaka, the capital, police said. The attack bore the hallmarks of previous killings by militants.

The government banned pillion riding on Monday a day after the wife of a prominent anti-terror security official was shot dead by three suspected militants on a motorbike.

A 60-year-old Christian grocer was also hacked to death on Sunday in an attack claimed by Islamic State. Bangladesh has not seen the sort of violence over the past decade or so.

But since February last year, militants in Bangladesh have killed more than 30 people, including members of religious minorities, liberal bloggers and academics.

Islamic State and Al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility for most of the killings but the government denies that either group has a presence in Bangladesh.

The government has launched a crackdown on militant groups who want to impose strict Islamic law in Bangladesh.

Hindus make up about 9 percent of Bangladesh´s 160 million population of mainly Sunni Muslims.