Dhaka: A United Nations team has arrived in Bangladesh to evaluate whether to initiate a full investigation into alleged human rights violations during the recent student-led protests that led to the ousting of Sheikh Hasina, who had ruled the country for 15 years.

The protests, which culminated in Hasina's flight to India on August 5, were marked by severe violence, with over 450 people reported killed, mostly by police fire. The UN's preliminary report last week indicated "strong indications, warranting further independent investigation, that the security forces used unnecessary and disproportionate force" during the unrest.

The alleged violations include extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture. The current UN team is tasked with exploring the "modalities for investigating human rights violations," according to a statement by the UN rights office.

The UN's Dhaka office stated that, based on the findings and discussions of the advance team, a separate fact-finding mission might be deployed in the coming weeks for a comprehensive investigation. Bangladesh's interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, has assured full cooperation with the UN investigators.

Sheikh Hasina's government faced numerous accusations of severe human rights abuses, particularly against political opponents. In a related development, a Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal, initially established by Hasina, has launched three "mass murder" investigations related to the recent unrest. These cases were brought by private individuals, and several of Hasina's former top aides have also been implicated.