Dhaka refutes Delhi's claim over Hindu man's death in Dinajpur
Claiming that the interim government protects the rights of all citizens irrespective of their religions, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam yesterday (19 April) dismissed the claim of India over the death of Bhabesh Chandra Roy in Dinajpur.
"It is unfortunate that the death of Mr Bhabesh Chandra Roy has been described as part of a 'pattern of systematic persecution' of Hindu minorities under the interim government," he told BSS responding to a query on the comments of India's External Affairs Ministry about the death of Bhabesh Chandra Roy.
Shafiqul Alam, the spokesperson of Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, said: "We reject this baseless claim."
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He mentioned that Bangladesh is not a country where one will find government-sponsored systematic discrimination against minorities.
The press secretary reiterated that the Bangladesh government protects the rights of all of its citizens irrespective of religious denominations.
"In this particular case, we have ascertained that the victim went out with some individuals previously known to him. Nobody from the victim's family reported his going out with them as suspicious," he said.
Alam said the autopsy report did not detect any prima facie sign of bodily injury.
This notwithstanding, the authorities have ordered viscera analysis to conclusively determine the cause of death, he said, adding that appropriate actions would be taken once the viscera report is available.
"We invite all quarters to refrain from making fabricated and inciteful comments on the incident," Alam added.
Yesterday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs called the killing of Bhabesh Chandra Roy "a pattern of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities" under the interim government.
In a statement on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "We have noted with distress the abduction and brutal killing of Shri Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu minority leader in Bangladesh."
"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," he claimed.
