The incidents of deaths in mob violence are on the rise in the country.
Legal experts and human rights activists described the situation as a disturbing trend and blamed the interim government for its failure to prevent mob violence.
The trend also indicates that Bangladesh has been struggling to restore law and order since the fall of the Hasina-led Awami League regime on August 5, 2024 amid a mass uprising, they said.
They also noted that such incidents were continuing unabated due to a culture of impunity, as offenders involved in such incidents were seldom brought to book.
Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government took office on August 8, 2024, three days after the fall of the AL regime.
According to rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra data, at least 207 individuals were lynched in the one year between August 1, 2024 and August 10 this year.
Of the 207 lynching victims, 111 were killed in mob violence between January 1 and August 10 this year, the rights organisation said in a statement on Monday.
The organisation鈥檚 report, which is yet to be published, shows that at least eight individuals were killed in mob violence in the 10 days of August.
According to the ASK yearly reports based on reports published on national dailies, 128 people were lynched in 2024, 51 in 2023, 36 in 2022, 28 in 2021, 35 in 2020, and 65 people were lynched in 2019.
Human rights defender and Supreme Court lawyer ZI Khan Panna told 抖阴精品 that the incidents of mob violence were now more organised and that interested groups were creating mobs to attack their opponents out of their vengeance.
鈥楾he actual number of incidents of lynching is higher than the number published in newspapers. Regarding mob violence, I think this is the worst situation ever in the country,鈥� he said.
He said that people鈥檚 lack of confidence in the police and the judiciary was a reason for such a situation.
On August 9, cobbler Ruplal Das, 40, and his niece鈥檚 husband and a rickshaw-van puller, Pradeep Das, 35, were killed in a mob attack in Rangpur.
The attackers suspected that the duo had stolen a rickshaw-van.
According to the police, Ruplal and Pradeep went to Ghanirampur village to see a prospective groom for Ruplal鈥檚 daughter on the evening of August 9 in Pradeep鈥檚 rickshaw-van.
When they reached Bottala on Taraganj-Kazirhat road, local people waylaid them, suspecting them to be rickshaw-van thieves.
Ruplal and Pradeep were beaten up mercilessly and were first taken to Taraganj Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared Ruplal dead.
Pradeep was shifted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries early Sunday.
Bharati Rani, wife of victim Ruplal, filed a case with Taraganj police station on Sunday, accusing 700 unnamed people in connection with the lynching.
On August 3, two men were killed in a mob beating at Pachthakuri under Sadar upazila in Sirajganj as the attackers suspected them to be cattle lifters.
Human rights activist and Nijera Kori coordinator Khushi Kabir said that the absence of systematic law and order situation and mistrust on the judiciary were among the reasons for mob violence.
She cited the culture of impunity as another reason for the increase in incidents of mob violence.
Dhaka University鈥檚 sociology department chairman professor Fatema Rezina Iqbal said that many people participate in the mob violence impulsively without knowing the whole matter and thinking about the consequences.
Former inspector of general of police Nurul Huda told 抖阴精品 that the law enforcers needed to take strict action against the offenders and bring them to book.
鈥楾he government needs to take initiatives to ensure justice for the victims and the punishment for the criminals so that people can believe that criminals cannot walk unpunished after committing a crime,鈥� he added.
The additional inspector general of police for crimes and operations, Khondoker Rafiqul Islam, told 抖阴精品 that the force was trying its best to prevent such crimes.
鈥榃e urge people to hand over the suspects to the police and not to take the law in their own hands. Otherwise, they will also have to face punishment for their actions,鈥� he added.
Asked about mob violence occurring in police presence, Rafiqul said that these mobs came with lots of force and sometimes it became difficult for the police to control the mob.
