Dhaka, Sep 20 (V7N) – A staggering total of 2,010 incidents of communal violence were reported across 68 districts and metropolitan areas in Bangladesh between August 4 and 20, resulting in nine fatalities and attacks on 69 places of worship, including instances of vandalism and arson.

This alarming data was disclosed at a press conference held by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad at the Nasrul Hamid Auditorium in Dhaka Reporters Unity on Thursday. The report highlighted that four women were victims of sexual assault, including one case of gang rape.

Additionally, 915 homes were attacked, looted, or set ablaze, while 953 businesses suffered similar fates. The violence also left 38 individuals injured from physical assaults during this period. Overall, 1,705 families were directly impacted, with 157 families losing everything and now living in extreme hardship.

The Khulna division experienced the highest level of violence, where four women were raped, including one who is mute. Among the affected, 34 families belonged to ethnic minority communities that faced looting, vandalism, and arson, with some losing their land to illegal occupation.

Analysis of the data indicated that incidents of violence occurred in every division, targeting places of worship and individuals from Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and ethnic minority communities. Approximately 50,000 individuals, including men, women, teenagers, children, and people with disabilities, were directly affected, with an estimated 20 million religious and ethnic minorities experiencing trauma nationwide over the past 17 days.

The press conference also raised concerns regarding two murder cases filed against Advocate Rana Dasgupta, general secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad and a prominent human rights leader. The organization expressed outrage over these cases and called for their immediate withdrawal.

Furthermore, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad urged the cessation of ongoing communal violence in the country and stressed the necessity of granting magisterial powers to the military to help maintain law and order.

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