In September last year, a young man named Toffazzal Hossain was beaten to death on suspicion of theft at the Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall of Dhaka University. The incident sparked nationwide outrage. Later, it was revealed that Toffazzal was not a thief; he was killed simply based on suspicion. After the incident, a case was filed, and the police later filed charges against 21 students. Human rights activists say that the Toffazzal case created significant public outcry, which led to the arrest of the accused. However, in most cases like this, the perpetrators remain elusive.
Talking about the trend of mob killings, Tipu Sultan, Program Coordinator and human rights activist at the Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF), said, “These are also forms of extrajudicial killings. But in most of these cases, the police file the cases where the accused remain unidentified. The cases are not properly pursued, and the perpetrators aren’t caught, but they should be. Moreover, these cases don't get proper justice, which is why such crimes continue to happen repeatedly.”
According to the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) report, 27 instances of mob violence occurred in October last year, resulting in 18 deaths and 8 injuries. The Commission reported that only seven cases were filed in connection to these incidents. However, when inquiries were made about the number of deaths or case details after October, no further information was available from the Commission.
According to MSF, in 2024 alone, at least 169 incidents of mob violence have taken place, claiming 146 lives, while 126 people have been severely injured. 47 of the injured were handed over to the police. Among the victims, there were five women and three minors.
MSF’s data shows that in many cases, people were killed on suspicion of theft (58), robbery (13), theft, snatching, and extortion (16), alleged rape (5), murder cases (6), suspicious movements (4), criminal involvement (6), being banned student activists (5), political vengeance (6), drug smuggling, arms trafficking, terrorism (6), land disputes, verbal conflicts, mental disorders, past enmities, and other suspicions, with 36 people falling victim to mob violence for various reasons. MSF also notes that mob killings have surged since the Sheikh Hasina government’s fall on August 5. In the last five months of last year alone, 98 people were killed in mob violence. The highest number of killings occurred in September, with 24 deaths. October saw 23 deaths, August 20, November 14, and December 17. From January to July 2024, 48 people were killed in mob violence.
On the other hand, another human rights organization, the Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), reports that in 2024, 128 people have died from mob violence, with the highest number of deaths (57) occurring in the Dhaka division.
ASK also mentions that in 2023, 51 people were killed in mob violence across the country, while in 2022, the number was 36, in 2021 it was 28, in 2020 it was 35, in 2019 it was 65, and 39 people lost their lives in 2018 in similar incidents. In the first two months of this year, 27 people were killed in mob violence across the country, with 10 deaths in the Dhaka division alone.
According to the Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation, 33 people have died in mob violence over the past three months this year. In January, 12 people were killed, 8 in February, and 13 in March. During this period, 93 people were injured. In March alone, 39 incidents of mob violence resulted in 69 victims, including 13 deaths and 56 injuries.
Another human rights organization, the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), reports that from 2015 to 2024, there have been at least 1,009 incidents of mob violence in the country, resulting in 792 deaths and at least 765 injuries. Since the government change, there have been 114 incidents of mob violence in the last seven months (from August to February), with 119 people killed and 74 injured. The organization also states that last year, at least 179 people died in mob violence.
Human rights activists and legal experts believe that the increase in mob violence is due to a lack of proper legal enforcement. They also highlight that these incidents reflect the fragile state of law and order in the country.
Professor Dr. Sayeeda Anju, Chair of the Law Department at Rajshahi University, said, “There are specific punishments for specific crimes. If someone commits a crime, they should be brought through the legal process. No one has the right to beat someone to death. Until charges against an accused person are proven, they are innocent. Just because an accusation is made doesn’t mean they’re guilty.”
She added, “Even if someone commits a crime, they still have the right to legal support. The court allows them to defend themselves or contest the charges. But in the case of someone being killed based on an accusation, they never got the chance to prove their innocence. Many times, it’s proven later that the person who was killed wasn’t even guilty.”
Human rights activist Nur Khan Liton said, “The country is in a state of instability. Some are taking advantage of this situation for personal and political gains. These killings are also driven by past enmities. However, no visible strict actions have been taken by the government so far. We’ve seen people’s homes being surrounded in the name of finding fascism, and attacks have occurred there as well. All of this indicates the worsening law and order situation in the country.”
Regarding the justice for mob violence, he added, “In most of the past cases, there has been no precedent for justice. Apart from a few, these incidents haven’t been prosecuted.” He commented that mob violence continues due to the lack of justice, law enforcement not fully recovering, and political instability.