Remembering Martyrs: Tapon Roy and Liplal Marandi

The screams echoed down the hallway and woke neighbours from their sleep. The closest ones tried to rush out of their homes to see what was happening, but their front doors were chained closed and they were unable to get out. Neighbours farther away got out of their houses and ran toward the screams, but they were too late to prevent the carnage.

It was 28 July 2005, and Tapon Kumar Roy and Liplal Marandi were sound asleep in the calmness of the night. A loud noise woke the two men as their door came crashing in, and eight Muslim men rushed into the room. They held Roy and Marandi down while they tied and bound their hands with strips of the sheets they ripped apart. Then they began to viciously stab them.

Soon, the neighbours’ footsteps and voices could be heard outside. The assailants quickly fled the scene after stabbing Marandi fourteen times and Roy twelve. The two severely wounded men were rushed to the nearby Boalmari Health complex in a van. Roy died in transit, and Marandi died immediately after reaching the hospital.

Roy and Marandi began their ministry in Dhopapara in April 2005. They rented a small room to share and began showing The Jesus Film. They were warned by local Muslims more than once to stop showing the film. Roy and Marandi knew their God was greater than any threats, so they continued in the ministry He had called them to, showing the film. Only a few days before their murder, a mob of people rushed to their house around noon and demanded that they leave Dhopapara village immediately. “If you fail to obey, then we will make sure that you will be gone forever while your Jesus film will be left behind.”

Once again, the men followed God’s call and remained in the village. They knew the danger they faced and were prepared to die if it was God’s will. Roy and Marandi left behind more than a film. They left behind a witness of a Savior Who chose to face the cross that all might be saved.