India on Saturday expressed strong condemnation of the abduction and subsequent killing of Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a prominent Hindu community leader in Bangladesh, as part of an ongoing pattern of communal violence and systematic persecution against minorities in the country. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) through its spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has issued this firm statement demanding that the relevant authorities of the Bangladeshi interim government take concrete steps in safeguarding minorities, particularly Hindus, without any excuse or distinction.

Official Response of India

“We have noted with distress the abduction and brutal killing of Shri Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu minority leader in Bangladesh. This killing follows a pattern of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities under the interim government, even as the perpetrators of previous such events roam with impunity,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.

"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," he added.

The Indian comments were triggered by an increasing number of targeted attacks against minorities in Bangladesh. The killing of Roy, as per the MEA, showed an alarming trend of impunity for crimes against minority communities under the current interim administration in Dhaka.

Abduction and Killings

The Daily Star and news agency PTI reported that 58-year-old Bhabesh Chandra Roy was kidnapped from his home on Thursday in northern Dinajpur, Bangladesh. According to Shantana Roy, his wife, she heard her husband receive a call at around 4:30 p.m. that very day. She found out that the call originated from those who later abducted him.

“Approximately 30 minutes later, four men arrived on two motorcycles and allegedly abducted Bhabesh from the premises,” Shantana said.

The abductors allegedly took Roy to Narabari village, beat him severely, and recorded a video of his naked body before sending him back home in an unconscious state in a van. His family rushed him to a hospital in Dinajpur, but doctors declared him dead.

Police officials recovered the body later, and an investigation is currently ongoing. However, the incident has left a large section of the Hindu minority community in Bangladesh suffering from fear. 

Relations Between India and Bangladesh 

India's condemnation of Roy's killing also comes at a time when diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Dhaka have been under strain. On Friday, India officially dismissed Bangladeshi officials' statements concerning violence in West Bengal. In a sharp response, the Indian authorities asked Dhaka to develop itself and its minority populations in human rights and safety, rather than engaging in "virtue signalling".