Posted on Aug 5, 2005 | by Staff

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP)--Two men employed with Christian Life Bangladesh, a partner agency of Campus Crusade for Christ, were killed July 29 in Faridpur, Bangladesh.

Lipial Marandi, 21, and Tapan Kumar Roy, 27, had spent the last eight months providing health awareness programs to locals and showing the “JESUS” film. The men had received threats that they would be killed if they continued their work.

Local police say the men were sleeping when intruders entered their rented house at 2 a.m. and stabbed them to death, according to a report from Campus Crusade. So far, police have arrested two men in connection with the killings.

"We express our deepest sympathies to the families of Lipial and Tapan," said Thomas Abraham, vice president of Asia Campus Crusade for Christ. "We are saddened by the hatred of those who would commit such acts of violence."

This is the second murder of Christian Life Bangladesh workers. In April 2003, Hridoy Roy was killed in a similar incident. The perpetrators of Hridoy's murder were never convicted.

"We are seeing an increased trend toward persecution of Christians in Bangladesh, and the Christian community in America is concerned," Abraham said. “We urge the Bengali government to bring the murderers to justice and uphold the Bangladesh constitution which protects religious freedom."

The Bengali Christian community and several newspapers have voiced strong outrage toward the murders. Bengali Christians plan to hold a rally to voice their sympathy for the families of the victims as well as a show of unity amid the recent circumstances. A memorandum from the Christian community will be sent to the Bangladesh prime minister urging immediate and just action be taken.
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