Geneva: A United Nations inquiry has uncovered systematic attacks and killings of protesters orchestrated by the former government of Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, suggesting such actions may amount to “crimes against humanity.”

According to a statement by Kashmir Media Service, the UN rights office (OHCHR) detailed that before Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a student-led uprising last August, her administration engaged in a severe crackdown, including “hundreds of extrajudicial killings.” The report indicates these acts were part of “a widespread and systematic attack against protesters and other civilians” by the government and violent factions of Hasina’s Awami League party, supported by Bangladeshi security and intelligence services.

Hasina, who has since fled into exile in India, has defied an arrest warrant in Bangladesh for crimes against humanity. UN rights chief Volker Turk stated his office found “reasonable grounds to believe” that top officials in the previous government were aware of and involved in serious violations.

Bangladesh’s interim leader, Mohammed Yunus, who initiated the UN’s fact-finding mission, has embraced the report. He expressed a commitment to transforming Bangladesh into a nation where all citizens can live with security and dignity.

The UN investigation focused on events between July 1 and August 15 of the previous year, drawing on interviews with victims, witnesses, and others, as well as photos, videos, and documents. The inquiry concluded that Bangladesh’s armed forces supported Hasina’s government throughout the uprising.

OHCHR estimated that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during the 45-day period, with children comprising 12 to 13 percent of the fatalities. The majority of deaths resulted from actions by Bangladesh’s security forces.

UN rights chief Turk described the government’s response as a “calculated and well-coordinated strategy” to maintain power amid mass opposition, highlighting “hundreds of extrajudicial killings, extensive arbitrary arrest and detention, and torture.”

Critics have pointed out India’s support for Hasina’s regime, suggesting it enabled the continuation of these atrocities and implicating India in the resulting bloodshed. Observers are urging the international community to demand accountability from both Hasina’s regime and its Indian allies for these violations of human rights.