Dhaka: A quarterly report by Dhaka-based human rights group Odhikar has revealed worsening law and order in Bangladesh, with 33 people killed in mob attacks and 41 deaths in political violence between April and June this year. The report, cited by The Daily Star, said political clashes also left 970 people injured.
Most mob attack victims were beaten to death over allegations of theft, robbery, or hurting religious sentiments, reflecting a growing lack of public trust in law enforcement and the justice system.
The report documented 57 incidents of infighting within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and two within the National Citizen Party (NCP). BNP clashes left four dead and 400 injured, while NCP disputes injured 16 people. Odhikar alleged that BNP members were involved in extortion, land grabbing, abductions, rape and attacks on institutions.
The rights group also recorded 255 rape victims, including 161 girls, blaming delays in justice on inadequate forensic facilities, slow medical reports and court backlogs. It further documented three alleged extrajudicial killings, severe prison overcrowding with 85,000 inmates in facilities built for 43,157, and 16 prisoner deaths due to illness. The report also highlighted attacks on journalists, with 17 injured and several others assaulted or threatened.
Odhikar called for independent investigations into alleged extrajudicial killings, custodial torture and other human rights abuses, urging authorities to hold those responsible accountable. (IANS)
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