TDS Desk:

People are becoming increasingly violent day by day. This violence is being expressed in the pursuit of personal, political and economic interests, among others, leading to the rise of mob violence.

Just two days ago, Dipu Chandra Das, a resident of Mokamiakanda village in Tarakanda upazila of Mymensingh, was beaten to death, hung from a tree and brutally set on fire in public. He was an employee of Pioneer Knitwear, a garment factory in Bhaluka, and is survived by his three-year-old daughter. The killing, carried out in utter disregard for law and justice, was an act of sheer brutality.

Experts fear that people are becoming violent largely due to a culture of impunity. In such circumstances, fear has spread among ordinary citizens. If these acts are not firmly resisted immediately, they could spread across society like a contagious disease.

Data from Ain o Salish Kendra show that between August 2024 and July 2025, a total of 199 people were killed through mob violence across the country. Humans, cats, dogs and other animals—nothing is being spared from human brutality. During this period alone, 92 people were killed in mob attacks in the Dhaka division.

Experts say attacks on newspapers and media outlets represent the latest manifestation of this growing violence. Political killings are spreading fear among the public, leaving ordinary people feeling increasingly insecure. The impact of this insecurity is becoming more pronounced in daily life.

Assistant Inspector General (Media) at Police Headquarters, AHM Shahadat Hossain, said that law enforcement agencies are making efforts to remain firm during this election period. “Regardless of political affiliation, everyone must come forward to curb crime. We are making our utmost efforts in crime prevention and rescue operations,” he said.

He added that even when intelligence information is available, preventing crimes is often difficult. “The force we deploy is sometimes outnumbered ten or twenty times over by incoming crowds, causing situations to spiral out of control. The emerging culture of assembling large numbers of people in a very short time is a major challenge for us,” he said.

Assistant Professor ABM Nazmus Sakib of the Department of Criminology at the University of Dhaka identified impunity as one of the main reasons behind the rise in violence. “We are witnessing numerous examples of lack of justice in our society, which is increasing criminal tendencies,” he said.

He explained that before committing a crime, offenders consider the consequences. “When people get away with crimes without facing justice, they inevitably become more violent. If this continues, crime will spread like a contagious disease. Repeated criminal acts can even make ordinary people in the surrounding community violent, triggering a chain reaction,” he warned.

“There is no alternative to justice in establishing peace in society. Ensuring justice in a single incident is not just about that case alone—it sends a message and influences others. Therefore, justice has no substitute,” he added.

Columnist and founding chairman of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Dhaka, scientist Dr. Khondkar Siddique-e-Rabbani, said people are increasingly using social media to post negative comments, abuse others and issue death threats. He noted a growing number of crimes involving threats and killings.

“Through mob violence or mob justice, individuals are being humiliated, assaulted, killed or having their property destroyed in the name of revenge,” he said. “Unruly groups are taking the law into their own hands. There is never justice in mob justice. Such mob attacks or lynchings are clear violations of human rights.”

He also pointed out that in mob violence, individuals are denied any opportunity to prove their innocence.