A prominent Hindu leader was allegedly kidnapped and beaten to death in Bangladesh on Thursday afternoon, local news website The Daily Star reported citing police and the man’s family.
The man has been identified as Bhabesh Chandra Roy, 58. He was a resident of Basudebpur village in Dinajpur, some 330 kilometres northwest of Dhaka. His body was found at around 10.00 pm on Thursday. Roy was vice-president of the Biral unit of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and held influence among the Hindu community in the area, the report added.
What happened?
According to Bhabesh Chandra Roy’s wife Shantana, he was home on Thursday when he received a call at around 4:30 pm. She claimed that the call was to ascertain that Roy was present at his home, the report said.
Following this, four men on two bikes allegedly arrived at Roy’s place half an hour later and kidnapped him. They allegedly took him to a village named Narabari and assaulted him brutally, the witnesses say. Shantana said she could recognise two of the attackers.
By Thursday evening, Bhabesh Chandra Roy’s unconscious body was sent back to him in a van, reportedly by his kidnappers. He was taken to a local hospital before being referred to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital, where he was declared dead, the report said.
Roy’s body has been sent to the morgue for autopsy. Preparations are underway to file a case and identify and arrest the accused, the report said citing Abdus Sabur, officer-in-charge of Biral Police Station.
The attack on the Hindu leader in Bangladesh happened just a day before India rejected a Bangladeshi official’s remarks on violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad. India also asked Bangladesh to protect the rights of its own minorities.
On Thursday, spokesperson of Bangladesh interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus issued a statement urging India to protect Muslims. “We condemn attacks on Muslims causing loss of lives and properties. We urge the government of India and West Bengal to take all steps to fully protect the minority Muslim population,” he said.
To this, India’s MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal 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.”
“Instead of making unwarranted comments and indulging in virtue signaling, Bangladesh would do better to focus on protecting the rights of its own minorities,” he added.