A commission investigating enforced disappearances during the rule of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said that at least 287 people are believed to have been killed. The findings were announced on Monday.
The government-appointed commission was formed after Sheikh Hasina was removed from power following a mass uprising in August 2024. According to the commission, 1,569 abduction cases were investigated, with 287 victims presumed dead. Some bodies were believed to have been dumped in rivers, including the Buriganga in Dhaka, while others were buried in mass graves.
Commission member Nur Khan Liton said several unmarked graves have been identified in different areas. He added that the commission has recommended seeking help from foreign forensic experts to identify bodies and collect DNA samples from victims’ families.
In its final report submitted to the government, the commission stated that security forces acted under the command of Sheikh Hasina and senior officials. Many of the abducted individuals reportedly belonged to opposition parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Separately, police began exhuming a mass grave in Dhaka in December. At least eight victims of the uprising were found, all with bullet wounds, according to the Criminal Investigation Department.
The United Nations has said that up to 1,400 people were killed during crackdowns as Hasina tried to remain in power. She was sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity.
Families of the victims are demanding justice. Mohamed Nabil, whose brother was identified among the dead, said the family was relieved to know where he was buried but called for a quick trial of police officials involved in the killings.
