A total of 2,010 communal violence occurred across 68 districts and metropolitan areas across Bangladesh between August 4 and 20.
These incidents resulted in the deaths of nine people, and attacks on 69 places of worship, including vandalism and arson.
This information was revealed at a press conference by Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad at Nasrul Hamid Auditorium at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Thursday.
Additionally, four women were subjected to sexual assault, including one case of gang rape. A total of 915 homes were attacked, looted, or set on fire, and 953 business establishments faced similar fates.
In these incidents, 38 individuals sustained injuries from physical assaults during this period.
Overall, 1,705 families were directly affected by these 2,010 communal violence incidents, with 157 of these families having lost everything and currently living in extreme hardship.
The press conference also mentioned that the Khulna division saw the highest level of violence, where four women were raped, including one who was mute.
Among the affected families, 34 belonged to the ethnic minority community, which suffered looting, vandalism, and arson, with some losing their land to illegal occupation.
Analyzing the data on communal violence, it was found that incidents occurred in every division, with places of worship and people from Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and ethnic minority communities being targeted.
Approximately 50,000 men, women, teenagers, children, and people with physical or mental disabilities were directly affected, with an estimated 20 million religious and ethnic minorities suffering from trauma nationwide in the last 17 days.
The press conference also raised concerns over two murder cases filed against Advocate Rana Dasgupta, the general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad and a human rights leader.
The organization expressed outrage over these harassing cases and demanded their immediate withdrawal.
Additionally, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad called for the immediate cessation of the ongoing communal violence in the country and emphasized the need for the military to be given magisterial powers to maintain law and order.
