At least 79 people were killed and 1,695 injured in political violence in Bangladesh during the first six months of the year, rights group Odhikar said in a report published on August 18. The group attributed most incidents to struggles for dominance, political retaliation, disputes over committee formation, extortion and the takeover of various establishments.

Odhikar presented its assessment of human rights conditions, political violence and institutional reform on Monday evening. It said 52 people were killed in mob lynching during the period. Electoral violence killed 13 people and injured another 1,081, according to the report. The organization said the situation had not improved after the elected government came to power.

The report said eight Bangladeshis were killed and five injured by Border Security Force gunfire in incidents along the India-Bangladesh border, while at least 27 people were pushed into Bangladesh. Seven people were victims of extrajudicial killings and 37 died in custody. It recorded 106 journalists facing attacks, cases, kidnapping threats or harassment, including 21 who were abducted. The report also said 367 women and children, including 223 children, were raped.