THE sharply rising number of unidentified bodies in Dhaka and across the country is not simply crime statistics. This is a clear sign that the interim government has failed to improve law and order since the fall of Awami League regime in August 2024. The Manabadhikar Sangskriti Foundation reported that 461 unidentified bodies had been recovered in the first nine months of 2025, a sharp increase from 373 during the same period in 2024. The condition and circumstances in which bodies are recovered suggest that they were victims of targeted killings tied to economic disputes, political rivalry, business interests and personal vendettas. The frequent recovery of unidentified, decomposed bodies in public places suggests that a climate of impunity persists and is likely to take a turn towards for worse before the national elections. The home affairs adviser, however, insists that the law and order situation is improving, while the law adviser tends to shift the blame on the deposed government, saying that the politicisation of the police has created the crisis. The government should recognise that neither denial nor blaming the past regime would help to improve the situation.
All kinds of crimes, from murder and robbery to sexual violence and petty crimes, are on the rise. According to police statistics, 1,336 cases of dacoity and robbery were reported across the country in the first six months of this year. During the same period, the police recorded 1,530 murder cases. In addition, 515 kidnapping cases were reported in the same period, indicating a growing threat to personal security. Political violence is still pervasive in the country, as Transparency International Bangladesh said that 121 people had been killed and 5,189 injured in 471 incidents of such violence. Of the political violence reported, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was engaged in 92 per cent of the cases while the Awami League accounted for 22 per cent and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami for 5 per cent. Mob violence has remained a disturbing trend. In January鈥揓une, according to Ain O Salish Kendra, at least 89 people were killed in mob violence. The government鈥檚 action so far is limited to combing operations, which more often resulted in the harassment of ordinary people and an increase in arbitrary detention. The government is failing in its most basic sovereign obligation, which is to guarantee the right to life.
The government must, under the circumstances, abandon its strategy of denial and do all that is necessary to improve law and order. It must ensure transparent case disclosure, rapid forensics, mandatory public reporting of the status of each unidentified body and a specialised unit focusing on daily cross-referencing of missing people and recovered bodies. The government has no other alternative to improvement in law and order, especially before the national elections.
