India denounces targeted killing of prominent Hindu leader in B'desh

India on April 19 strongly condemned the abduction and killing of a Hindu community leader in Bangladesh, intensifying its calls for the protection of minorities in the neighboring country.

The incident has deepened existing tensions between the two nations, already strained over Dhaka’s handling of minority rights.

Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a prominent Hindu leader from the Biral sub-district, was allegedly abducted from his home on April 17 and later beaten to death, according to Bangladeshi media reports. Four men reportedly arrived on two motorcycles and forcibly took Roy from his residence, with his body found hours later.

Describing the murder as part of a larger, troubling trend, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) urged Bangladesh’s interim administration to act decisively.

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

“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 emphasized that such attacks were not isolated and pointed to a “pattern of systematic persecution” under the current Bangladeshi administration. He further criticized the lack of accountability, stating that perpetrators of previous incidents “roam with impunity.”

The diplomatic backlash follows a verbal exchange earlier this week between the two countries. Dhaka had condemned reported sectarian violence against Muslims in India’s West Bengal, calling on New Delhi to ensure the protection of its Muslim population. India promptly rejected the remarks, labelling them “unwarranted” and accusing the Bangladeshi government of deflecting from its own failures in safeguarding minority communities.

“It is a barely disguised and disingenuous attempt to draw a parallel,” Jaiswal said, reiterating India’s position that Dhaka must focus on addressing the ongoing persecution of its Hindu minority.

India-Bangladesh relations have taken a nosedive since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last August, replaced by an interim caretaker government led by Muhammad Yunus. Since then, New Delhi has repeatedly voiced concerns over the deteriorating conditions for Hindus in Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue directly during a recent meeting with Yunus on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok on April 4. According to a handout, Modi “expressed his expectation that the Government of Bangladesh would ensure their security, including by thoroughly investigating the cases of atrocities committed against them.”

As cross-border diplomatic tensions escalate, observers warn that failure to address minority rights could derail long-standing regional cooperation and worsen communal divisions on both sides of the border.