For the reason that fall of the Sheikh Hasina authorities on August 5, 2024, mob violence has assumed severe proportions in Bangladesh. Incidents vary from people being crushed to loss of life over allegations of spiritual blasphemy to assaults pushed by private vendettas or makes an attempt to grab property. Mobs have indulged in vandalism and attacked shrines, newspaper workplaces and cultural organizations, nationwide monuments, and memorials associated to the 1971 liberation battle, even exhuming our bodies from graves.
The latest killing of 38-year-old Wahiduzzaman Shamim in Satkhira in southwest Bangladesh on allegations of blasphemy and assaults on a charitable maternity clinic within the capital, Dhaka, have solely deepened these considerations.
After the exit of the Awami League authorities, the interim administration underneath Dr. Mohammad Yunus (August 2024-February 2026) didn’t act successfully amid the deteriorating legislation and order scenario. Since February, Bangladesh has an elected authorities led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Social gathering (BNP). Nonetheless, mob violence persists.
In response to information from the Human Rights Tradition Basis, 537 incidents of mob violence occurred in Bangladesh between January 1 and October 17 this yr, leading to 256 deaths and 575 accidents, in comparison with 428 incidents in 2025 and 169 in 2024. Knowledge from Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), a rights group, signifies that 171 folks have been killed in mob violence from January 1 to September 30 this yr; the figures for 2024 and 2025 have been 128 and 198, respectively.
Whereas methodologies for information assortment and calculation could differ throughout completely different organizations, the information factors to the same situation — mob violence has turn into a grave public safety disaster for Bangladesh. And it isn’t stopping.
There are allegations that leaders and activists from the ruling BNP are concerned in incidents associated to the seizure of property. Essentially the most vital BNP-related incident prior to now eight months was the assault on a 50-year-old government-run maternity middle in Dhaka, the only real medical facility serving native slum girls. A bunch of native shopkeepers allegedly carried out the assault with the intent to grab the hospital’s land. The BNP has expelled a number of native leaders on this incident and compelled a parliamentarian to resign.
In the meantime, questions have been raised in regards to the position of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh’s largest Islamist social gathering, and its associates in mob violence linked to non secular points. The killing of 38-year-old Shamim within the identify of defending Islam is only one instance.
Shamim, who suffered from a psychological sickness, was crushed to loss of life by a mob. The violence was triggered by audio clips that allegedly contained derogatory remarks about Islam. Though the police initially rescued Shamim and admitted him to an area hospital, a frenzied mob of roughly 250 folks attacked the hospital that very same night time. He subsequently died. The members of the family of the deceased have alleged that members of the Jamaat have been concerned within the incident.
Jamaat-e-Islami has denied these allegations, claiming that it’s a political group that believes within the rule of legislation, justice, and democratic values.
Figuring out the veracity of allegations requires neutral investigations and concrete proof. It’s as unjust to deal with mere allegations as confirmed information as it’s harmful to exempt people from investigation merely due to their political affiliation.
Therefore, if allegations are levelled, it’s the police’s responsibility to register complaints and the courts’ accountability to attempt the alleged perpetrators underneath the legislation. However this isn’t taking place in Bangladesh in the present day.
Leaders of the ruling BNP and the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami routinely blame one another in incidents of mob violence. Neither social gathering is dedicated to placing an finish to such mob actions.
Over the previous two years in Bangladesh, most situations of mob violence have occurred within the identify of the “Tawhidi Janata“ (the religious lots).
Previous to the incident at Satkhira, a Jamaat activist and its pupil wing chief in Kushtia have been concerned in attacking a shrine and exhuming the physique of a deceased “pir” (non secular chief) from his grave and burning it. Jamaat activists have been additionally accused of comparable actions at a significant shrine in Dhaka. But, the Jamaat has not expelled any of them. They merely dismissed allegations of the social gathering’s involvement.
When members of any political social gathering face such allegations, it isn’t sufficient for the social gathering in query to easily evade accountability; they have to cooperate with neutral investigations and take vital organizational motion in opposition to these accused. This accountability applies equally to all political events, whether or not they’re in energy or within the opposition.
The BNP authorities has repeatedly claimed that it’s dealing firmly with mob violence. Residence Minister Salahuddin Ahmed mentioned that for the reason that BNP took workplace, mob violence has declined. Relating to allegations of political involvement, he mentioned that these should be verified by way of investigation.
Whether or not the variety of violent incidents is down or not, the larger query is whether or not the legislation enforcement companies responded swiftly when somebody was crushed on the streets, or a mob vandalized an establishment. If they didn’t arrest perpetrators, launch an neutral investigation, and punish them underneath the legislation, warnings from authorities could be seen as empty rhetoric. It is vital that justice is finished on the idea of the crime dedicated, and never the id of the particular person committing the crime.
Bangladesh police are nonetheless not absolutely operational for the reason that July-August 2024 protests. In response to the U.N. OHCHR Truth-Discovering Report, 450 out of the 639 police stations throughout Bangladesh have been destroyed or broken through the protests and the next retaliatory assaults. A whole lot of police personnel have been compelled into retirement. Many police officers say they hesitate to make selections that would later turn into politically controversial.
Importantly, mob violence can’t be addressed until political events permit the police to do their work and politicians rein of their supporters