Human Rights Watch said the Bangladesh government should publicly order security forces to avoid using lethal or excessive force when dealing with protesters.
The leaders of all political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), should keep supporters from engaging in violence, the New York-based rights body said in a statement.
The government should set up an independent commission to carry out prompt, effective, and impartial investigations into the violence and hold all those responsible to account, the statement reads.
“Security forces appear to have stepped up operations against the opposition in recent days. Jamaat supporters have attacked police posts, government buildings, ruling party activists, and Hindu communities,” it added.
Media reports say that security forces have killed at least 20 opposition members during clashes and have arrested many more, said the statement.
“Security forces and opposition militants are engaged in a vicious cycle of attacks that are leading to death, destruction, and fear,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“Jamaat and others in the opposition may have legitimate reasons to hold protests, but that is no excuse for the appalling levels of violence by their supporters,” he said.