Extrajudicial Killings & Disappearances (2015–2022)

Bangladesh has faced long-standing concerns regarding human rights violations involving law enforcement agencies, including the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), police, and security forces. Between 2015 and 2022, multiple reports documented extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and custodial deaths.

• Extrajudicial killings are killings carried out by state agents without due process.


• Enforced disappearances involve individuals being taken into custody (by or with complicity of state actors) without official acknowledgment, leaving families unaware of their fate.

Reported Numbers (2015–2022)

• According to Odhikar, between 2015–2022, over 2,500 killings were reported under "crossfire" or "gunfight" circumstances involving law enforcement.


• RAB has been implicated in the majority of these cases. Many killings were reported during anti-drug drives or alleged anti-crime operations.


• Amnesty International reports highlight systemic issues, including lack of independent investigations.

Enforced disappearances:

• Odhikar documented over 500 enforced disappearances between 2015–2022.


• Victims are often political activists, journalists, or alleged critics of the government.


• Most disappearances are attributed to security forces, often RAB or elite police units.

Custodial deaths:

• Hundreds of deaths in custody were also reported, sometimes linked to torture, lack of medical care, or neglect.