To the world, Sheikh Hasina speaks of peace and healing. From her loyalists, she asks for violent revenge.

For the indigenous Bawm community in Bandarban, arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions, custodial deaths, and seeking refuge across the border are not exceptions: they are the norm. A systemic campaign of collective punishment is being orchestrated by the state.

Netra News interviewed hundreds of families and examined over 2,000 reports to map the killings during Bangladesh’s 2024 crackdown. Of 750 verified deaths, at least 705 were likely caused by security forces or ruling party cadres.

Bangladesh’s religious minorities can — and do — ascend through courts, classrooms, and government offices, but the country’s armed forces remain off-limits.

2,597 killed in 13 years — data captures the staggering scale of extrajudicial executions, fatal shootings and custodial torture across Bangladesh.