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At least four people have been killed and 509 others injured in 64 incidents of election-related violence across Bangladesh in January, according to rights group Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF).
The figures come amid reports of clashes between activists of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami in different parts of the country as the election approaches.
In December, MSF recorded seven election-related violent incidents nationwide, which left one person dead and 27 injured, bdnews24.com reports.
In its monthly human rights situation monitoring report sent to the media on Saturday, the last day of January, MSF said election violence emerged as one of the “most severe” human rights crises during the month.
Beyond election-related clashes, the organisation reported 24 incidents of political violence in January, in which 215 people were injured. Six people were killed in attacks carried out by assailants during these incidents.
In comparison, December saw 16 incidents of political violence, leaving 124 people injured and four killed.
In an analysis, MSF said, the data “demonstrates that the election process in January is effectively moving towards deadly violence”.