The number of unidentified bodies found across the country, as well as deaths in custody, rose sharply in October compared with September, according to a monthly human rights report released by Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF).
The report, published on Friday, said the trend reflects a growing sense of insecurity in public life and raises serious questions about the performance of law enforcement agencies.
A total of 66 unidentified bodies were recovered across the country in October, up from 52 in September.
According to the report, 13 prisoners died in custody in October, compared with eight in the previous month. Of them, six were convicts and seven were undertrial detainees.
Four convicts and two undertrial prisoners died in Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, one convict each in Kashimpur and Sherpur jails, and one undertrial prisoner each in Khulna, Tangail, Chattogram, Sirajganj, and Manikganj jails.
All the prisoners died in hospital after being taken out of custody, the MSF report said.
MSF Executive Director Saidur Rahman told the media that the rise in both unidentified bodies and custodial deaths reflects a serious deterioration in the country’s human rights situation.
“Law enforcement agencies are recovering the bodies but failing to identify them or investigate properly. In most cases, they simply file an unnatural death case and move on,” he said.
He added that the growing number of custodial deaths and unidentified bodies has fuelled public suspicion about the role of law enforcement agencies.
The MSF report also documented 49 incidents of political violence in October, up from 38 in September, leaving two people dead and 547 injured – four of them by gunfire. Both of the deceased were BNP activists.
It said 11 of the incidents involved attacks, arson, and crude bomb explosions targeting political offices, homes, and businesses, though no casualties were reported in those cases.
Meanwhile, 44 incidents of mob beatings were recorded in October, compared with 43 in the previous month. Twelve people were killed in such attacks, down from 24 in September.
MSF said the persistence of mob violence, alongside rising political unrest, underscores the fragile state of public safety and the lack of accountability in Bangladesh.
Trend exposes deepening insecurity
Most of the unidentified bodies were found in rivers, ponds, by roadsides, under bridges, on rail tracks, croplands, and in abandoned areas.
Several of the bodies bore visible injuries, including slit throats and blood stains, the report noted.
MSF said the rising number of unidentified bodies exposes deepening insecurity among citizens. The organisation also questioned the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies in identifying the deceased and ensuring justice for possible killings.
Of the 66 bodies found, one was a child, one a teenager, 11 were women, and 53 men.
Among them, 15 men and two women were aged between 20 and 30; 19 men and six women were aged between 31 and 40; and five men and one woman were between 41 and 50. Eleven men and one woman were above 50, while the ages of three victims could not be determined.
“Merely recovering unidentified bodies is not enough. Identifying them and ensuring justice for possible killings is the responsibility of the state,” MSF said in the report.
