DHAKA, May 12: As many as 89 people were killed in custody and 1,75,435 were arrested across the country during the anti-crime and anti-corruption drives in the first four months of the state of emergency, proclaimed on Jan 11, said a report of Odhikar, a Dhaka based human rights coalition, on Saturday.

The rights group has demanded independent inquiries of all the extra-judicial killings or deaths in custody. It also said that the findings the proposed inquiries should be made public.

Forty-nine of the victims were reportedly killed by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), 23 by the police, seven by the joint forces, six by the army and three by the navy between January 12 and May 11. One person was killed in the custody of the Department of Narcotics Control, the report said.

Of the 89 people, 47 were killed in RAB ‘crossfire’, two died in hospital after being picked up by the battalion, 12 were killed in police ‘crossfire’, five were tortured to death by the police, three were shot dead by the police, one died in police custody, two died in hospital after being arrested by the police, four died reportedly from torture by the army, one died when trying to escape from the custody of the army, one died in hospital after being picked up by the army, three were reportedly tortured to death by the navy, three were reportedly tortured to death by the joint forces, one was killed in ‘crossfire’ with the joint forces, one died in hospital after being picked up by the joint forces, one died when he allegedly jumped from a six storied building in the custody of the joint forces, one died after being left at a police station by the joint forces and another was reportedly killed in the custody of the Department of Narcotics Control, the Odhikar report said.

Of the 89 people killed during the period, four were activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, four of Awami League, six of outlawed Purba Banglar Communist Party (Janajuddha), four of underground Purba Banglar Communist Party, three of extremist Purba Banglar Communist Party (Red Flag), two of outlawed Biplobi Communist Party, one of extremist New Biplobi Communist Party, two of underground Gana Mukti Fauj, one of Jatiya Samajantrik Dal, three of Sramajibi Mukti Andolan and four of extremist Sarbahara Party, one was a freedom fighter, one was an indigenous leader and another was reportedly an operative of an extremist group, the report said.

Members of different bands of criminals were also among the people killed during the period. Three of them were of Gangchil Bahini, one of Masim Bahini, one of Haji Bahini and one of Salam Bahini. Three suspected gunrunners, two alleged muggers, one alleged gambler, two alleged drug peddlers, 10 alleged robbers and 17 other criminals were among the persons killed.

Others killed during the period included two farmers, a businessman, a police informer (source), a bus driver (as claimed by his family), a detained bus driver and one whose occupation was unknown.