EXTRAJUDICIAL killing, which was expected to stop during the tenure of the interim government that assumed office with state governance reforms high on its agenda, worryingly continues. Rights group Odhikar, in its report made public on October 30, says that at least 40 people were extrajudicially killed between August 9, 2024 and September 30, with 11 of them having been killed in such a manner in July-September. The interim government was installed on August 8, 2024, three days after the fall of the Awami League regime, in a mass uprising, that had governed the country for about a decade and a half at a stretch, having been mired in serious rights violation. Odhikar, based on findings of rights campaign groups affiliated to it and information and data published by media outlets, in its report says that 19 of them were shot dead, 14 tortured to death and 7 beaten to death in custody. Of the 11 killed extrajudicially in July鈥揝eptember, seven are alleged to have been killed by the joint forces, three by the police and one by army personnel. Three of them are reported to have been tortured to death, six were killed in gunfire and two were beaten to death.
At least 27 people reported dead in custody in July鈥揝eptember, as the Odhikar report says, take to 88 the number of such victims in 13 months during the tenure of the interim government. What the Odhikar report says paints a bleak picture of law and order. The report says that 46 people died in political violence in July鈥揝eptember, which takes the total figure of such deaths to 281 having happened between August 2024 and this September. At least 687 girls and women are reported to have been raped between August 2023 and this September, with 188 having been raped in this July鈥揝eptember. At least, 153 people are reported to have been beaten to death between August 2024 and this September, with 45 of these cases having happened this July鈥揝eptember. The reporting period covers the first 14 months of the interim government. Yet, extrajudicial killings have continued. Law and order has also failed to show any significant signs of improvement riding, in some cases, on the government鈥檚 inaction and, in a few cases, on the government鈥檚 denial although the situation has improved much from the state to which it declined post August 2024. The government is understandably busy with the electoral transition, but it should deal with law and order issues with equal importance.
The government should, therefore, ensure justice and accountability in all cases of extrajudicial killings with credible investigations to stop the recurrence of such incidents. Justice, that too early, appears to be the only way to stop extrajudicial killings. The government should also focus on improving law and order to stop violence and rape.