India condemns murder of Hindu leader in Bangladesh: MEA

New Delhi

India has raised serious concerns over the abduction and killing of Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu minority leader in Bangladesh. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned the brutal incident, calling it part of a troubling trend of persecution against Hindus. The MEA urged the Bangladeshi interim government to take stronger actions to protect all minority communities, including Hindus, and to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.

Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson for the MEA, expressed distress over the killing and emphasized that it is part of a broader pattern of violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. He also pointed out that many past incidents have gone unpunished, with the perpetrators not held accountable. Jaiswal stressed the importance of the government taking responsibility for the safety and protection of minorities and acting without making excuses or distinctions.

Bhabesh Chandra Roy, who was the vice-president of the Biral unit of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, was a well-respected figure in his community. He was abducted earlier this week in Dinajpur's Biral upazila. His body was found later, and a postmortem was conducted, although the report’s details are still awaited. Roy’s son, Sapan Roy, confirmed that four men came on motorcycles, took his father, and later returned his unconscious body. Roy was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead upon arrival.

According to Sapan, his father had received a phone call around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and shortly after, the men arrived and abducted him. Roy’s wife, Shantana, reported that she recognized two of the attackers. Police are working on a case and efforts are ongoing to identify and arrest those responsible for the killing.