Isis claims responsibility for Hindu man's killing in Bangladesh

Islamic State (Isis) has claimed responsibility for hacking to death a Hindu man on Saturday (30 April) in the city of Tangail in Bangladesh. The man named Nikhil Chandra Joarder, was killed by two men on a motorcycle with sharp weapons outside his tailor shop, AFP reported.

Police said they were investigating if the killing was linked to a comment he made in 2012 against Prophet Mohammed. "They came on a motorcycle and attacked him as he sat on a roadside. They hacked him on his head, neck and hand," Deputy chief of Tangail district police Aslam Khan said. The man was arrested in 2012 and spent two weeks in prison. He was released after a complaint against him was withdrawn.

The Amaq news agency affiliated to IS released a short statement which said: "Elements from the Islamic State assassinated a Hindu in the city of Tangail in Bangladesh by stabbing him to death." In an Arabic statement, the news agency said: "He was known for blaspheming the Prophet Muhammed."

The killing follows many such incidents in recent times in Bangladesh where foreigners, secularists, gay right activists and left wing professors have been attacked.

The recent spate of attacks has been claimed mostly by IS and al-Qaeda affiliated organisations. However, the government of Bangladesh has denied the presence of these terrorist organisations in the country and blamed the political opposition for the violence.