Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 20 (ANI): Vice President of ISKCON Kolkata, Radharaman Das, has strongly criticised Bangladesh over the killing of Hindu Minority leader Bhabesh Chandra Roy, alleging that such acts are aimed at forcing minorities into submission.

Speaking with ANI, Das called the incident 'extremely sad' and claimed that the violence was intentional.

'We can see what is happening in Bangladesh, and it is extremely sad...a Hindu leader, Roy, was kidnapped and brutally beaten to death...this is being done intentionally so that the rest of the minorities get frightened. They want minorities to submit before them. This is extremely sad, and the whole world should take a look at it.' Das said.

India on Saturday expressed strong concern over the abduction and brutal killing of Hindu minority leader Bhabesh Chandra Roy, calling it part of a troubling pattern of persecution. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned the incident and urged the interim government in Bangladesh to ensure protection for all minorities.

'We have noted with distress the abduction and brutal killing of Shri Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu minority leader in Bangladesh,' Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson for the MEA, posted on X (formerly Twitter).

'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. 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.'

The postmortem of Bhabesh Chandra Roy, who was allegedly abducted and beaten to death earlier this week in Dinajpur district's Biral upazila, Bangladesh, has been completed, police said on Saturday.

According to earlier accounts, Bhabesh had received a phone call around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. His wife, Shantana Roy, told The Daily Star that the perpetrators allegedly made the call to confirm his presence. About 30 minutes later, four men arrived and forcibly took him. Witnesses said he was taken to Narabari village and brutally assaulted.

That evening, his unconscious body was returned to his family in a van. Locals helped rush him to the Biral Upazila Health Complex and later to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His body was later sent for a postmortem examination.

Bhabesh Chandra Roy was a resident of Basudebpur village under Shatagram Union and served as vice-president of the Biral unit of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad. He was widely respected within the local Hindu community. (ANI)