Rights body Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has called for an independent inquiry commission to ensure justice for the alleged disappearances, abductions and extrajudicial executions across the year.
It has expressed deep concern over the human rights scenario in 2019 at a media call in Dhaka on Tuesday (Dec 31).


ASK senior deputy directors -- Nina Goswami and Abu Ahmed Fayzul Kabir presented a report, reviewing the human rights situation in the outgoing year.
According to the report, a total 388 persons were killed in alleged shootouts with law enforcement agencies. As many as 13 persons have disappeared after being whisked away by people claiming to be from law enforcing agencies.
Apart from the ‘shootouts’, 14 deaths in custody were reported, six died from injuries during torture before arrest and 12 have been shot dead from Jan 1 to Dec 30 this year.
India’s Border Security Force (BSF) has shot dead 47 Bangladeshi nationals throughout the year, reads the report.
Political unrests left 39 dead and 2,689 injured across the year, it said.
The report also showed concern over the broad daylight killing of Barguna's Rifat Sharif and pressing charges on his wife Aysha Siddiqa Minni.
ASK said in the report that the lynching of 65 people in the year, especially accusing women as kidnappers, shows people’s scepticism over law and order.
In 2019, at least 1,413 women have been raped and 76 of them were killed. In addition, 487 children were killed during tortures, rapes and rape attempts, reads the report.
ASK also said in the report, freedom of speech were violated, rally, demonstrations were barred and journalists were harassed in 2019. Professors, journalists and ordinary people were charged with Digital Security Act and faced subsequent harassments and tortures.
The report recommends the government’s cooperation and priority to ensure freedom of speech and let the National Human Rights Commission, Information Commission, Anti Corruption Commission and other state autonomous bodies operate independently.
It also stressed ensuring equity in every sector of the state and taking proper action to put an end to women and children repression.