Dhaka, July 31 (IANS) At least 33 people were killed in mob attacks in Bangladesh while political violence across the country claimed 41 lives and left 970 others injured between April and June this year, local media reported citing a quarterly report released by Dhaka-based human rights group ‘Odhikar’.
In its report, Odhikar mentioned that most victims of mob attacks were beaten to death on suspicion of theft or robbery, and others were killed during informal village arbitration or over accusations of hurting religious sentiments.
The rights body noted that the incidents reflected the persistent erosion of public trust in law enforcement and the justice system, resulting in people taking the law into their own hands, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper ‘The Daily Star’ reported.
As per the findings, there were 57 incidents of internal conflict within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and two within the National Citizen Party (NCP). It added that the BNP infighting left four people dead and 400 injured, while 16 were injured in NCP internal clashes.
According to the report, the internal BNP conflicts were largely driven by disputes over extortion, territorial dominance, the sale of excavated soil, local election nominations, party conferences and political programmes. It added that firearms and other lethal weapons were used in several of the incidents.
The rights group alleged that BNP leaders and activists engaged in a range of criminal activities, including extortion, land grabbing, abduction, rape, attacks on educational institutions and government offices, interference with police work, and assaults on political opponents, The Daily Star reported.
The report recorded 255 rape victims during the quarter, comprising 93 women and 161 girls. It said the delivery of justice in rape cases continues to remain slow due to inadequate DNA testing facilities, delayed medical reports, the absence of legal protections for victims and witnesses, and court backlogs.
Expressing concerns over extrajudicial killings by Bangladeshi authorities, the report documented three such incidents. It alleged that one person was tortured to death by Bangladesh’s Detective Branch personnel, another was beaten to death during a Department of Narcotics Control operation, and a fisherman was shot dead by a Forest Department patrol team.
The report noted that Bangladesh’s 75 prisons held over 85,000 inmates as of May 17, despite having a capacity of only 43,157.
According to the report, 16 prisoners reportedly died from illness during the quarter, noting that overcrowding, inadequate nutrition and a shortage of doctors continued to deny inmates adequate healthcare.
The report documented multiple incidents targeting journalists, with 17 injured, five assaulted, four attacked, and seven threatened while carrying out their professional duties.
Odhikar called for an independent probe into alleged extrajudicial killings, custodial torture and other abuses by Bangladesh’s law enforcement agencies, while calling for those responsible to be held accountable.
–IANS
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