Death toll continues to rise in Bangladesh’s war on drugs

Ten more people have been killed in what security forces describe as shootouts as Bangladesh’s war on drugs continued amid criticism from different rights groups and rival political parties.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 24 May 2018, 03:58 AM
Updated : 24 May 2018, 01:34 PM

The crackdown on narcotics rolled into the sixth day, bringing the number of so-called shootout deaths to 45.

Law-enforcing agencies claimed they engaged in ‘gun battles’ with drug traffickers in six districts from Wednesday midnight to early Thursday.

Among the dead, two people were killed in Feni and Cumilla each in an alleged shootout with police while one each died in Narayanganj and Brahmanbaria.

Moreover, at least two bullet-ridden bodies were found in Magura and one in Satkhira and Cox's Bazar each. The police say they were suspected drug dealers as some illegal drugs “were found at the scene”.

The descriptions of these ‘shootouts’ coming from security agencies, are almost identical. They say during the operations their personnel only fire weapons in defence, and deaths by shooting occur only where the suspects have been armed and exchange of gunfire takes place.

However, at different times the families of the deceased came up with the complaints that they were arrested and killed.

Such incidents are often referred to as "crossfire" killings in the media and common parlance, a term that has come to imply suspicious, or extra-judicial, killings.

Although they disapprove of the prevalence of drug in the country, rights organisations have voiced their concerns over the killings and the way government agencies are combating drug trafficking.

They are demanding an end to these extralegal killings.