Road accidents claim 166 lives in March: Human Rights Council

Some 166 people were killed in road accidents in March in Bangladesh, according to a report of Bangladesh Human Rights Commission (BHRC).

BHRC revealed the comparative data today based on information collected from its district, upazila, municipality units and reports published in different national dailies.

Bangladesh saw 85 Covid-linked deaths during the same time, said the report.

Of the 248 deaths unnatural deaths last month, 166 died in different transport-related accidents, 35 died due to unknown reasons, 18 died in family violence, four in social violence, four by assailants, two at the hands of members of law enforcement agencies, two by kidnappers, one by Indian Border Security Force (BSF), while 13 by suicide.

The report shows three people died of Covid-19, while eight were killed in different incidents daily on average in March.

The investigative report produced by BHRC documentation department with the assistance of International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) mentions 12 incidents of rape and two of acid throwing in March.

BHRC suggests only by establishing the rule of law such killings could be reduced in the country. Establishment of rule of law at all levels is a must to institutionalize the democratic system and build a society that values human rights, it said.