Systematic persecution: MEA slams Bangladesh for Hindu leader’s killing

India on Saturday condemned the killing of a prominent Hindu community member, Bhabesh Chandra Roy, in Bangladesh and urged the neighbouring nation to desist from “inventing excuses or making distinctions” on minority safety in the country.

Roy (58), belonging to the Biral area of Dinajpur in Bangladesh, was allegedly abducted from his home and beaten to death on Thursday.

The victim served as the vice-president of the Biral unit of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Roy’s abduction and brutal killing was a distressing incident. “The 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. We again remind the interim government to live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities, including Hindus, without inventing excuses or making distinctions.”

The incident came to the fore when India on Friday rejected Bangladesh’s remarks calling for “protection against minority Muslim population” in West Bengal and instead urged Dhaka to focus on protecting the rights of its own minorities.

The MEA spokesperson had also said, “We reject the remarks made by the Bangladesh side with regard to the incidents in West Bengal. This is a barely disguised and disingenuous attempt to draw a parallel with India’s concerns over the ongoing persecution of minorities in Bangladesh where the criminal perpetrators of such acts continue to roam free.”

India had reacted after Bangladesh rejected attempts to link it to the recent communal violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. The violence erupted in West Bengal during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act and spread across Murshidabad, Malda, South 24 Parganas and Hooghly, with incidents of arson, stone-pelting and road blockades being reported. The violence left three persons dead.

Meanwhile, the Congress has condemned Roy’s killing and said the incident was a “chilling reminder” of the growing sense of insecurity among minorities in the neighbouring country.

“This is not an isolated incident. Over the past months, there have been repeated and deeply disturbing instances of attacks on minority communities in Bangladesh, from desecration of Hindu temples to targeted attack on the homes and businesses of minorities. This pattern of intimidation and brutality cannot be ignored,” said senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in a statement.