50 killed since Bangladesh emergency

At least 50 people died in different actions by security forces who also arrested nearly 96,000 people during the first 60 days of the state of emergency in Bangladesh, a rights group said on Wednesday.

Human rights organisation Odhikar said in a report that 95,825 people were arrested by the joint forces during the period between January 12 and March 12.

Of the 50 people who died, 26 died in action by the elite crime fighters Rapid Action Battalion, 12 by the police, six by the army, five by the joint forces and one by the navy.

Odhikar demanded independent inquiries into all the "extra judicial killings and deaths" and said the results of such probes be made public.

However, it appreciated the government's decision not to allow law enforcement agencies to evict people from any more slums without prior permission and hoped that it will take a humane approach on this issue.

Odhikar has prepared this report on the basis of 11 national dailies and its own fact-finding reports, a press release from the organisation said.