TDS Desk:

Over the past 16 months in Bangladesh, various crimes have been committed in the name of mob violence. These include arson attacks, and looting of homes and industrial factories; attacks on shrines; assaults on Baul performers; attacks, arson, and looting of media offices; and obstruction of cultural activities, among others. However, the most horrific form of mob violence is lynching.

Deaths caused by mob beatings over allegations of theft, snatching, political rivalry, or personal disputes are continuing to rise. In the first 11 months of the current year, 182 people were killed in mob violence, of whom 72 were killed in Dhaka alone.

Statistics from the human rights organisation ‘Ain o Salish Kendra’ show that 547 people have been killed in mob lynchings over the past eight years. Of these, 39 were killed in 2018, including 21 in Dhaka. After the national parliamentary election on 30 December, 2018, the highest number of lynching related deaths occurred in 2019, when 65 people were killed (22 in Dhaka).

In 2020, the number dropped to 35; in 2021 it was 28; in 2022 it rose again to 36. In 2023, the number increased further to 51, including 25 in Dhaka. In 2024, the figure rose significantly to 128. In the first 11 months of the current year (January-October), 184 people have been killed. Current-year data show that Dhaka recorded the highest number of deaths at 72, followed by Chattogram with 28, Khulna with 17, Barishal with 14, Rajshahi with 13, Mymensingh with 10, Rangpur with 7, and Sylhet with 4.

Observers say that the number of deaths from lynching has increased since the change of government. Former ministers and MPs, as well as judges, have been assaulted on court premises. In that continuity, incidents of killing through mob violence are increasing day by day. Murders are occurring due to not only political rivalry but also personal enmity.

The list of those killed in lynchings includes persons with disabilities and children. In many such incidents, members of the law enforcement agencies have remained inactive.

Among the most shocking victims of mob lynching that stirred nationwide outrage are the following:

In Bhaluka, Mymensingh, a 27-year-old garment worker named Dipu Chandra Das was beaten to death over allegations of making derogatory remarks about religion. His body was later hung from a tree and burned.

Police found no evidence to support the allegation of religious insult against Dipu. His family and locals believe he may have been killed due to conflicts with coworkers at the garment factory where he worked.

According to his family, this was not a spontaneous act by an enraged crowd; rather, a false allegation of blasphemy was deliberately fabricated to kill Dipu.

Bhaluka Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Jahidul Islam said, “So far, a total of 12 people have been arrested in this incident, and there is sufficient evidence against them. We have not yet been able to confirm the allegation of religious insult during the investigation. Efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining accused involved in this heinous crime.”

However, there has been no news of further arrests in the case. Many fear that arrests are happening now only because of nationwide discussion, and once public attention fades, the matter will be buried. This concern stems from the fact that influential individuals allegedly involved in the incident have not faced any action and are roaming around openly. In the past as well, cases of mob violence/lynchings have often gone unpunished, with accused persons walking free.

On 18 September last year, a mentally unstable young man named Tofazzal was beaten to death on suspicion of theft at Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall of Dhaka University. Although those directly involved in the killing were identified, no effective action was taken. Three people were arrested but were released on bail within just two weeks. Even after 15 months, no charge sheet has been submitted in the case. When contacted, the concerned police station said the investigation was ongoing, but those involved in the attack have not yet been interrogated.

In Taraganj upazila of Rangpur, two members of the Haridas community – Rupalal (40) and Pradip (35) – were beaten to death by the mob on suspicion of being thieves while they were trying to fix the wedding date for Rupalal’s daughter.

According to Rupalal’s family and local residents, on 10 August, the wedding date of Rupalal’s eldest daughter, Nupur Rani, was supposed to be finalised with a young man from Shyampur in Mithapukur upazila. For this purpose, on 9 August, Rupalal’s nephew-in-law Pradip Das set out from Mithapukur driving his van towards Rupalal’s home. Not knowing the village roads, Pradip called Rupalal after reaching the Kazirhat area of Sayar Union. Rupalal went there, and the two started for Rupalal’s home in Ghanirampur village in the van.

Around 9pm., when they reached the Bottola area on the Taraganj-Kazirhat road, some locals stopped them on suspicion of van theft. A crowd soon gathered, and eventually a mob formed and beat Rupalal Das and Pradip Das to death. Rupalal’s wife filed a murder case, and police arrested six people and sent them to jail, but reports say the accused were released on bail within a week. The investigation is still ongoing.

In front of Mitford Hospital in Dhaka, scrap goods trader Lal Chand alias Sohag (39) was brutally murdered. Before killing him, the attackers beat him mercilessly, and struck him with bricks and stones, crushing his head and various parts of his body. At one point, he was stripped naked, and some people even jumped on his body.

The incident stunned people across the country, and there was widespread outcry against mob violence. However, once public emotion over Sohag’s murder subsided, the investigation stalled. The main accused involved in the killing is still at large. Although he went into hiding for some time, he is now being seen openly.

On the night of 23 November, around 2am, a man named Shahin Sikder was beaten to death on suspicion of theft in Devinagar village of Ramnagar Union under Nagarkanda upazila in Faridpur. Three of his associates were also beaten and injured. Although a case was filed, no one has been arrested. Local residents know all the accused but are afraid to speak out against them. There are many such incidents.

Those concerned say that a culture of impunity, the spread of rumors, and a lack of trust in the rule of law are fuelling this brutality. When groups of people come together to kill an individual and such crimes go unpunished, perpetrators become increasingly reckless.