Dhaka: At least 637 people, including 41 police officers, were killed in mob lynching incidents across Bangladesh between August 2024 and July 2025, according to a new report by a leading Canadian agency. This marks one of the deadliest surges of extrajudicial killings in the country’s recent history, closely linked to the political upheaval following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
The report by Canada-based Global Center for Democratic Governance, released on Saturday, noted that only 51 lynching-related deaths were recorded in 2023 under the Sheikh Hasina-led government. The current figure reflects more than a twelvefold increase in mob violence over the past year.
Among the deadliest incidents was the burning alive of 24 people at The Zabeer Jashore Hotel in Jashore on August 4, 2024. Another 182 individuals died in a fire at Gaji Tyres in Rupganj, Narayanganj on August 25, 2024. The report mentioned that details about the victims were not fully published due to heavy media censorship, stressing that the figures presented are likely incomplete.
The Canadian agency highlighted that the fall of the long-standing regime created a dangerous power vacuum and a public crisis of trust in Bangladesh’s legal system. With law enforcement overstretched, courts paralysed, and many local leaders either in hiding or targeted, citizens increasingly resorted to vigilantism, often driven by rumour or political resentment.
Public spaces once considered safe have now become flashpoints for mob killings. Many attacks stemmed from unverified accusations, ranging from theft and harassment to politically charged or communal allegations. The report underscored that a significant portion of the violence carried political or communal undertones, with misinformation and provocative online content acting as frequent triggers.
Local human rights groups said over 70 per cent of the lynching victims since August 2024 had affiliations with the former ruling Awami League or its student and labour wings. Other victims included members of religious minorities, particularly Hindus and Ahmadiyya Muslims, who were often accused of blasphemy or conspiracy based on viral social media content, frequently without credible evidence.
One of the most horrifying cases involved the public lynching of Hindu social worker Lal Chand Sohag outside Dhaka’s Mitford Hospital on July 9. His killing was livestreamed on social media, sparking widespread outrage. In another incident, a false Facebook post alleging the desecration of a holy book by a Hindu led to a deadly mob attack that claimed two lives and resulted in the destruction of several homes. The allegations were later proven false, but the damage was irreversible.
Despite pledges by the interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, to curb vigilante justice, little progress has been made. Only a few arrests and convictions have followed the hundreds of killings. Critics accuse the current administration of prioritising political consolidation over restoring the rule of law, focusing more on dismantling remnants of the former regime than rebuilding state institutions. Public trust in the country’s justice system continues to erode.
A recent survey by the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) found that 71 per cent of Bangladeshi youth believe mob violence has become a regular part of public life, while 47 per cent expressed fear of falling victim to politically motivated attacks.
The Global Center for Democratic Governance warned that without urgent and systemic reforms, including police restructuring, judicial independence, misinformation control, and civic education, mob justice may become a permanent and defining feature of Bangladesh’s political landscape.
With IANS inputs