India Accuses Bangladesh Interim Government of ‘Systematic Persecution’ of Hindu Minorities

New Delhi: India has expressed serious concern over what it described as the “systematic persecution” of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh under the interim administration led by Professor Mohammed Yunus. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday condemned the recent killing of a prominent Hindu leader and urged the Bangladeshi government to ensure the protection of minority communities.

“We have noted with distress the abduction and brutal killing of Shri Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu minority leader in Bangladesh,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in an official statement. “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.”

Bhabesh Chandra Roy, aged 58, was a well-known leader of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Committee, which plays a key role in organizing Hindu religious festivals across the country. According to reports, he was abducted from his residence in Dinajpur and later beaten to death by four individuals on Thursday, April 17.

The MEA strongly condemned the killing and reiterated that Dhaka’s interim government must uphold its responsibility to protect all minorities, including Hindus. “We remind the interim government to live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities, including Hindus, without inventing excuses or making distinctions,” added Jaiswal.

The comment marks the latest exchange in a growing diplomatic back-and-forth between New Delhi and Dhaka over minority rights. Just days earlier, on April 17, Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to Chief Advisor Prof. Yunus, had called on India to ensure the safety of its own Muslim minority population. The MEA had responded by dismissing the statement as “disingenuous.”