Table-1: Level of Electoral Violence in Past National Parliament Elections (1991-2018)3. Election Period 1991 Image of electoral violence Killed Injured 39 1090 Voter turnout (%) 55.45% 4 24 568 74.96% 2001 163 5000 74.97% 1996 2008 17 500 87.13% 20145 20 1267 39.58% 6 18 200 40.20% 2018 According to electoral violence data, the 2001 election was the most violent and gruesome election ever. The incidents of torture, rape, arson, looting, eviction and harassment of ethnic and religious minorities during the pre- and post-election period were extremely inhumane and gross violation of human rights especially in Barisal, Bagerhat, Bhola, Pirojpur, Brahmanbaria, Chittagong, Feni, Gazipur, Jhenaidah, Jessore, Khulna, Satkhira, Kushtia, Munshiganj, Natore, Sirajganj, Narayanganj, Narsingdi and Tangail 7. The prevalence of these incidents is visible in the reports of newspapers and various human rights organizations. No effective legal action has been taken against incidents of rape, looting and forced displacement of religious minority women in these areas. Later, taking into consideration the seriousness of these incidents, His Highness, the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh ordered an impartial judicial investigation in 2009, and according to the instructions, a three-member judicial investigation committee submitted a full report (1100 page full report) in 2011 after conducting their investigation for about two years. The report included data on a total of 25,000 incidents of violence during the 2001 elections, 8 of which a total of 18,000 incidents were related to the rape of women. A total of 26,000 people have been directly accused in these incidents, including The picture of the involvement of senior leaders including ministers, parliamentarians of the then BNP- Jamaat government was exposed. About 80% of the total 3,625 complaints they investigated, according to the report of the inquiry committee, were the direct victims of minority communities, particularly Hindus and members of minority communities, many of whom were forced to temporarily flee the country and many of whom are still living uncomfortable lives with the scars of the horrors. Although the judicial inquiry committee's report has directed the government to take effective legal action for the incidents, no visible results have been observed later, which is totally undesirable. Later in the national elections held in 2008 the level of violence was relatively low and the general voter participation in the electoral process increased which was the highest (87.13%) voter turnout in the previous elections. In the last two national elections (years 2014 and 2018) a crisis of trust between political parties was visible and resulted in a particularly low voter turnout (which was 39.58% and 40.20% respectively). 3 4 5 6 7 8 Jagannath University Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 3, No. 1-2, 2015, pp. 123-135 The Bhorer Kagoj, 28 May and 1 June 1996 The election working group (EWG) report on 10 th Parliamentary Election, January 2015 The Daily Star, December 31, 2018 "Post-Elec�on Violence in Bangladesh Kills 3". The New York Times. 4 October 2001 "Bangladesh gang rape convic�ons". BBC News. 4 May 2011. 4 May 2011. 05