{"id":712,"date":"2014-01-01T11:35:33","date_gmt":"2014-01-01T11:35:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/?p=712"},"modified":"2014-01-01T11:35:33","modified_gmt":"2014-01-01T11:35:33","slug":"violence-killed-507-in-bangladesh-last-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/index.php\/violence-killed-507-in-bangladesh-last-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Violence killed 507 in Bangladesh last year"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bangladesh<\/a>A total of 507 people were killed in political violence in Bangladesh in 2013, making it the deadliest year since the country\u2019s independence four decades ago, a human rights group said Tuesday.
\nThe Ain of Salish Kendra (ASK) said most of the deaths occurred during clashes between security forces and opposition protesters over a controversial war crimes tribunal and changes to the electoral system.
\n\u201cA total of 507 people died in 848 acts of political violence this year,\u201d ASK acting executive director Nur Khan Liton said.
\n\u201cPolice used excessive power in handling the opposition protests and in many cases they opened fire,\u201d Liton said, adding the group\u2019s findings were based on its own investigations and newspaper reports.
\nThe group\u2019s figure is nearly twice the number known to have died in the political violence this year. According to an AFP count based on confirmation by police officials, 278 people have died, many by police shooting.
\nThe report came amid escalating violence across the country ahead of a January 5 general election. Opposition protesters demand that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina quit and call off the polls.
\nHasina has vowed to go ahead with the election despite a boycott by all opposition parties and a decision by Western nations not to send monitors for the vote.
\nOn Tuesday an activist from the Jamaat-e-Islami party, the country\u2019s largest Islamist opposition party, was killed during clashes with police in the border district of Meherpur, a local officer said.
\nA ruling party supporter was burnt to death late Monday after opposition protesters allegedly set fire to his shop in another remote border district in the northwest, police said.
\nTension also rose in the capital after the opposition led by two-times former prime minister Khaleda Zia called a non-stop nationwide transport blockade from Wednesday to try to scupper the election.
\nZia has been under de facto house arrest since Wednesday with scores of policemen cordoning off her residence.<\/p>\n

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