Dhaka: A prominent Hindu community member in Biral upazila of Dinajpur, Bangladesh, was allegedly abducted from his home and beaten to death. The victim, Bhabesh Chandra Roy, 58, served as the vice-president of the Biral unit of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and was a well-known figure in the local Hindu community, locals said.
According to his wife, Shantana Roy, Bhabesh was at home when he received a phone call around 4.30 pm. She said the call was made by the perpetrators to confirm his presence at home. About 30 minutes later, four men reportedly arrived on two motorcycles and abducted him. Quoting eyewitnesses, the Daily Star reported that Bhabesh was taken to Narabari village, where he was brutally assaulted.
Later that evening, the attackers allegedly brought back his unconscious body to his home on a van.
Family members, aided by locals, rushed him to the Biral Upazila Health Complex. He was later transferred to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. His body was sent for autopsy.
Dhaka dismisses India's claims
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has dismissed India’s allegation of systematic persecution of minorities as “baseless”, following the death of Bhabesh. Responding to India’s ministry of external affairs reaction on the murder, chief adviser Muhammad Yunus’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam said Bangladesh does not practice govt-sponsored discrimination and protects the rights of all citizens, regardless of religion. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal condemned the killing, calling it part of a “pattern of systematic persecution” of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. He urged the interim govt to act against perpetrators and protect minorities without excuses.
