When, through the bloodshed of the mass uprising of 2024, the people of Bangladesh dreamed of building a 'new Bangladesh', there was a deep-seated collective expectation that the country would at least witness a fundamental transformation in the areas of human rights and the rule of law. However, the grim picture presented in the annual reports of the country’s three leading human rights organisations—ASK, MSF, and HRSS—at the end of 2025 is deeply disappointing.
The reports of all three organisations make it clear that although the authoritarian government has fallen, the culture of impunity and the dysfunction of state institutions continue to exist in an alarming form. The most shameful chapter of the human rights situation in 2025 is 'mob violence' and lynching. According to ASK, 197 people were killed in mob beatings over the course of the year—nearly double the number recorded the previous year.
The brutal killing of Pradeep Lal and Rupalal Das in Taraganj, Rangpur, on suspicion of van theft starkly exposes the intolerance and savagery within our society. When people are beaten to death despite pleading for their lives with folded hands, in the face of police inaction, it becomes clear that even the most minimal trust of citizens in the state has eroded. Vandalising shrines in the name of so-called 'Tawhidi mobs', attacking Baul singers, or forming mobs to demolish centres of art and culture can in no way be signs of a non-discriminatory state.
According to ASK, 197 people were killed in mob beatings over the course of the year—nearly double the number recorded the previous year.
According to the organisations’ data, the number of deaths in prisons and in the custody of law enforcement agencies is also alarming. Deaths ranging from 107 to 116 while in detention raise serious questions. At least 38 people have been victims of extrajudicial killings. These incidents occurred in law enforcement custody, as a result of torture, or under the pretext of so-called 'crossfire', 'shootouts', or “gunfights.” Such deaths turn the commitment to ensuring the rule of law into a mockery.
MSF’s report documents 641 cases of unidentified bodies recovered throughout the year. Despite extensive police patrols and surveillance, the administration has no satisfactory explanation for how hundreds of bodies—many with hands and feet bound or stuffed into sacks—continue to be found. In addition, more than a hundred deaths due to political violence, and particularly the loss of 39 lives in internal clashes within the BNP, demonstrate a severe lack of tolerance even within political parties themselves.
The brutal killing of Pradeep Lal and Rupalal Das in Taraganj, Rangpur, on suspicion of van theft starkly exposes the intolerance and savagery within our society. When people are beaten to death despite pleading for their lives with folded hands, in the face of police inaction, it becomes clear that even the most minimal trust of citizens in the state has eroded. Vandalising shrines in the name of so-called 'Tawhidi mobs', attacking Baul singers, or forming mobs to demolish centres of art and culture can in no way be signs of a non-discriminatory state.
According to ASK and MSF, between 400 and 600 journalists have faced torture and harassment. The unprecedented attack and arson carried out on 18 December at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star amount to driving the final nail into the coffin of independent journalism. The filing of sweeping murder cases against some journalists has also put Bangladesh’s image at risk on the international stage.
We believe that various forms of disorder may emerge in the aftermath of a mass uprising, but such a situation cannot be allowed to persist for a year and a half. Every incident of mob violence or extrajudicial killing is, in reality, a reflection of the government’s failure. The administration and law enforcement agencies cannot continue to rely on 'old excuses'. If the real perpetrators are not swiftly brought to justice and police inaction is not addressed, this anarchy will engulf the entire state.
The interim government should take this warning from human rights defenders seriously. Mob perpetrators must be arrested regardless of their political identity, and transparent investigations into every death in state custody must be ensured. It must be remembered that no reform or mass uprising can be sustainable if the state fails to guarantee the security of human life. With elections approaching, the government must act with greater resolve to meet the challenge of improving the human rights situation. At the same time, all political actors should treat this warning in the democratic journey with the seriousness it deserves.