71 Unidentified Bodies Recovered in August, Mob Violence Death Toll Rises to 35

Special Correspondent

 

The human rights situation in the country continues to deteriorate. At least 35 people were killed and 74 injured in mob violence across the country in August. In the same month, 71 unidentified bodies were recovered from different parts of the country, which is a significant increase compared to the previous month. Earlier, in July, 31 people were killed in mob violence and 56 unidentified bodies were recovered.

The Human Rights Culture Foundation (MSF) released this information on Monday (August 31) after reviewing the human rights situation in July and August. The report was prepared based on information published in various media outlets in the country, its own human rights monitoring, and information verified by local human rights activists.

MSF said that while some indicators showed positive changes, mob violence, the number of injuries in political violence, the recovery of unidentified bodies, torture of minorities and mass arrests in special operations increased alarmingly in August.

 

What causes mob violence?

According to the report, these mob violence incidents have occurred over allegations of theft, robbery, robbery, murder, drug dealing, verbal altercations, family and personal disputes, extortion, land disputes, and various local disputes, and rape or sexual assault.

 

Unidentified bodies: special concern

Of the 71 unidentified bodies recovered in August, 55 were identified as men and 14 as women. The gender and age of the remaining two could not be determined. MSF says that without proper investigation, these incidents should not be considered as synonymous with outright killings, disappearances or extrajudicial killings, and that each case should be examined individually.

 

Political violence and arrests

The number of injuries in political violence in August increased from 95 in July to 267, while the number of deaths decreased from 7 to 5. MSF’s observations indicate that these casualties occurred in internal and inter-party clashes between various parties, including the BNP, NCP, Jamaat, and Awami League.

The number of arrests in special operations has also increased—from 5,196 in July to 5,618 in August, the majority of which were in drug-related cases.

 

Minority persecution and border situation

Incidents of violence against minorities increased from 8 in July to 26 in August. During this period, incidents of vandalism of idols, attacks on members of minority communities, loss of life and threats occurred in Faridpur and Chittagong. However, push-in attempts on the India-Bangladesh border decreased from 100 in July to 15 in August.

 

Improvement in some areas

Deaths in law enforcement custody decreased from 2 in July to 1 in August, and deaths in prison custody decreased from 9 to 5. However, attacks on journalists increased slightly from 36 to 37.

 

Violence against women and children: Murder and gang rape on the rise

A separate report by MSF on women and children said that a total of 327 incidents of violence against women and children were recorded in August, up from 306 in July. The number of murders of women and children rose from 52 to 91. Gang rapes increased from 7 to 12, and murders after rape increased from 3 to 5. Rape also increased from 5 to 6.

However, overall rape cases have decreased from 85 to 70 and attempted rapes from 34 to 21. Physical abuse has decreased slightly (from 42 to 40), and newborn rescues have also decreased from 11 to 3. On the other hand, suicides of women and children have increased from 28 to 39, and kidnappings and disappearances have increased from 13 to 14.

MSF says that while overall violence increased by only 6.8 percent, the increase in serious violence such as murder, gang rape and rape-related killings is particularly worrying.

 

The organization says that to improve the overall human rights situation, it is essential to ensure the rule of law and due process, control mob and political violence, prevent arbitrary arrests, protect journalists and freedom of expression, and ensure the safety of minorities and marginalized populations. It also calls for prompt, impartial, and effective investigations into every serious human rights violation and for those responsible to be held accountable.