Ten people, including a child, were killed and 476 injured in 104 incidents of post‑election violence in the country, reported rights organisation Odhikar in a publication that was launched on Wednesday.
The organisation also called upon the authorities to investigate and hold perpetrators of the violence accountable.
Odhikar collected the data as part of its ongoing monitoring of political and electoral violence as part of an initiative titled ‘Supporting the restoration of democracy: monitoring and reporting electoral violence in Bangladesh,’ supported by the European Partnership for Democracy, said a press release.
The 13th national parliamentary elections were held in 299 among 300 constituencies on February 12, while the rights body documented the incidents between February 13 and 28 based on information received from direct monitoring in 50 constituencies across 22 districts in eight divisions, and documentation from major national media outlets.
Of the 104 incidents of documented violence, 29 incidents involved factional clashes within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
The clashes resulted in four deaths and 136 injuries, accounting for 40 per cent of all fatalities and 29 per cent of all injuries documented during the reporting period.
Victims included activists from the BNP and its affiliated organisations, Jamaat-e-Islami, Awami League supporters, supporters of two BNP‑aligned independent candidates, two non‑partisan individuals, and a child.
The data indicate that post-election violence affected both those affiliated to political parties and ordinary people.
As per Odhikar’s monitoring, the south‑western Khulna division recorded the highest number of casualties, with three deaths and 191 injuries.
Rajshahi and Barishal divisions each recorded two fatalities, with 57 and 44 injuries respectively, while Dhaka division reported one death and 90 injuries, and Chattogram and Mymensingh divisions each recorded one death, with 76 and 13 injuries respectively.
Odhikar recommended impartial and time-bound investigations of the incidents to hold perpetrators accountable to the law, stronger civilian protection measures and enhanced mechanisms to prevent further escalation of post-election violence.
Moreover, the rights organisation called upon the political parties to strengthen internal dispute resolution mechanisms to prevent factional clashes and ensure peaceful management of post-election disagreements.
The BNP-led alliance secured 212 seats, while the Jamaat-led coalition won 77 seats and independent candidates won in seven seats in the 13th national parliamentary elections.
