Dhaka: At least 24 people of different minority communities were killed and 239 others injured in incidents of violence against them in 2015.

According to a report titled ‘The Human Rights Condition of Minority People in Bangladesh’ released on Saturday by Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council, 262 incidents of human rights violation against the country’s minority people were also taken place during the period.

The council general secretary Rana Das Gupta revealed the report at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) on Saturday.

Speaking at the programme, he said 1,562 families, institutions and individuals of the minority communities were affected in the 262 incidents.

Besides, Rana Das said, 26 people of the minority communities were abducted while 25 women raped, including 10 gang-raped, and 52 threatened with death in between January 1 to December 31, 2015.

He also said 60 minority families were evicted from their homes and 31 religious institutions, including temples, torched and vandalised, damaging 180 idols across the country during the period.

The Oikya Parishad general secretary said the report was prepared based on reports published in 14 national dailies and cases filed with different police stations. “The perpetrators of the incidents used political clout in most cases,” he said.

Rana Das further said, “I hope the government and all political parities will take this report their due consideration, and take necessary administrative and political initiatives to improve the human rights condition of the minority communities.”

Three unity council presidium members Subrata Chowdhury, Nim Chandra Bhowmik and Sachin Karmakar and its office secretary Dipankar Ghose were, among others, present.