The number of rape incidents has increased by 15 per cent in the third quarter of the year, said rights group Odhikar in its quarterly report on Friday.

Odhikar said that it has recorded a total of 322 incidents of rape from July to September and 58 per cent of the victims were minor.

Odhikar recorded a total of 280 rape incidents in the first quarter and 281 in the second.

Odhikar records incidents of extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, killing of Bangladeshis by Indian Border Security Force, political violence, labour rights violation and attacks on freedom of expression and press.

According to the report, a total of 52 people were sentenced to death in the third quarter of the year — July to September — in different courts of the country.

At least 11 Bangladeshis were killed by the Indian BSF in the third quarter and 10 of them were shot dead and one was tortured to death.

Apart from this, two Bangladeshis were injured and three were abducted by the BSF during this period.

At least 55 persons were reportedly killed extrajudicially.  Thirtytwo of them were killed  by  police,  13  by  Rapid  Action Battalion,  nine  by  Border  Guard  Bangladesh and  one  by Detective Branch  of Police.

Of them, 50  were  killed  in  the name of ‘crossfire/encounters/gunfights’ while two persons were allegedly tortured to death by  police and one by RAB, and one each was shot to death by police and by BGB.

Twelve of them were Rohingya ‘refugees’, in the name of ‘gunfight’ during this period.

It also said a total of 213 extrajudicial killings were carried out by various law enforcement agencies in last nine months and 113 of them were killed extra-judicially by police.

The report recorded a  total  of  eight  persons  were  victim of enforced disappearance allegedly  disappeared  after  being  picked  up allegedly  by  members  of  law  enforcement  agencies,  between  July  and September.

Of them,  two  were  shown  arrested  and  two  were released  after  a  few  days  of  disappearance  and  the  whereabouts  of  four persons remain unknown.

It said 23 persons have been victims of enforced disappearance between January and September. Among them, six bodies were found and the whereabouts of seven persons remained unknown.

Among the 322 rape incidents, 121 were women and 186 others were minors while the age of 15 females could not be determined.

At least 19 people were killed and 780 injured in political violence in three months. At least 75 incidents of internal violence in ruling Awami League were recorded during this period and 16 persons were killed and 607 were injured in internal conflicts within the Awami League.

During these three months, 15 persons were arrested under the Digital Security Act for criticising individuals or leaders of the government and the ruling party.

Odhikar said people continued to be killed in lynching while at  least  10  persons  were  killed  in  lynching  between  July  and September.

It called the international community including the United Nations to urgently cooperate in restoring democracy in Bangladesh through holding a transparent, fair, and participatory election.