Of them, 95 people were killed in police custody and 22 in the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) custody, ASK, a human rights and legal aid organisation, said on the basis of news reports published in 12 national dailies.

ASK in its report also expressed concern over the human rights situation of the country, and said the country's politics did not mark any positive change during the last three months. As many as 1,661 people were injured and 14 died in political violence sometimes resulting from intra-party feud during this period.

Besides, the same period saw 178 women raped, 31 of whom were killed after the rape. Twenty-seven women were victims of acid violence while 59 suffered torture due to dowries.

Repression of journalists also rose during the last three months. A total of 47 journalists were attacked, harassed or threatened. Of them, 12 were oppressed by the ruling political parties apparently for publishing news.

The Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights (BSEHR), a human rights watchdog, said law enforcers killed 18 people in March. During the same month, 51 women and children fell victims to rape and seven to acid violence. A total of 89 people were sent to jail after arrest under section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Bangladesh Nari Progoti Sangha reported that so far 204 women fell victim to various forms of repression this year. Of them, 69 were murdered and 60 raped. The victims' ages ranged between two and sixty.