Three more die in Bangladesh’s controversial drug raids

Three more people have died overnight in security forces’ anti-drug operation, taking the death toll to 134 since the war on drugs began on May 18.

Police claimed that one suspect was killed in an encounter with them in Thakurgaon and Rangpur during raids and an unidentified bullet-ridden body was recovered in Dinajpur in the early hours of Friday.

In most cases, the security forces have maintained that the suspects were involved in drug trafficking and resisted arrest leading to gun battles that left them dead.
 
Thousands of people have also been arrested in raids across the country during the crackdown.
 
However, people from different walks of life expressed concerns over the killings of suspected drug dealers in ‘shootouts’ with law-enforcement agencies.
 
Human rights organisations in Bangladesh raised questions over the killings following complaints from the victims’ families and demanded investigations into the deaths during the anti-drug operations.
 
The rival political parties urged the government to refrain from “extrajudicial killings” and feared the ruling Awami League may use the crackdown to suppress dissent.