India condemns abduction, killing of Hindu leader in Bangladesh
India on Saturday condemned the abduction and killing of a Hindu community leader in Bangladesh and urged the interim government in Dhaka to protect all minorities, reflecting the continuing strain in bilateral ties over the status of religious minorities in the neighbouring country.
Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a prominent leader of the Hindu community in Biral sub-district, was allegedly abducted from his home and beaten to death on Thursday, according to reports in the Bangladeshi media. He was taken away from his home by four men who arrived on two motorcycles, the reports said.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal condemned the killing in a social media post and said it was part of a “pattern of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities” under Bangladesh’s interim government.
“We have noted with distress the abduction and brutal killing of Shri Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu minority leader in Bangladesh,” Jaiswal said. “We condemn this incident and once again remind the interim government to live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities, including Hindus, without inventing excuses or making distinctions.”
Jaiswal also said the “perpetrators of previous such events roam with impunity” in Bangladesh.
The condemnation came a day after India rejected remarks by Bangladeshi officials regarding sectarian violence in West Bengal and asked Bangladesh to focus on protecting the rights of its minorities.