Analysts point to a lack of decisive action and early complacency, which they argue has allowed violence and lawlessness to spiral unchecked.
The daylight lynching of a scrap dealer outside Dhaka’s Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital on July 9 has set off fresh public outrage over the country’s worsening law-and-order crisis.
In that attack, captured on video, 39-year-old Chand Mia (alias Sohag) was dragged from the Mitford campus and beaten and hacked to death by a crowd.
The killing came amid a spate of high-profile crimes: on July 11 an expelled Jubo Dal leader, Molla Mahbubur Rahman, was shot dead and hacked in Khulna; a mosque imam in Chandpur narrowly survived a machete attack; and in March armed assailants stormed a Madaripur mosque and fatally hacked three men, two of them brothers, seeking refuge inside.
In each case, bystanders or fellow worshipers had little time or means to intervene, fueling concerns that ordinary citizens are increasingly fearful and helpless.
In response to the Mitford murder and mounting outrage, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury announced that the government will launch nationwide “combing operations” to target identified criminals and restore public order.
He said police and allied forces are now conducting special operations “from now on” to bring recent killers to justice, citing rapid arrests in the Mitford case, 7 of 19 suspects detained so far, and assuring that trials will be expedited.
Lax security
The interim government, sworn in on August 8, 2024 under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, had vowed to restore security and hold elections.
In early August, caretaker advisers told Reuters that improving law and order would be their first priority.
Instead, analysts say violence and “mob justice” have surged under the new administration.
According to an analysis of police data from August 2024 to June 2025, a total of 108,695 criminal incidents were reported across the country over the last 11 months.
Among them, 3,504 were murders, averaging over 10 killings per day. Crimes against women and children remain deeply concerning, with 17,900 reported cases.
Property-related crimes were also prevalent, with 7,691 thefts and 2,434 burglaries recorded.
The report also mentions 1,587 robberies, 647 dacoities (armed robberies), and 521 attacks on police personnel. The majority of incidents (73,856) were categorized under “Other Cases”, indicating a wide range of unclassified or less formally tracked crimes.
March 2025 saw the highest number of incidents (11,807), followed by April (11,647), reflecting a continued rise in violent activity despite government pledges to tackle crime.
Rights group Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) also reported 179 people killed in lynch-mob attacks between August and June 2025.
Police data show 294 murder cases were filed in January 2025 alone, up from 231 in January 2024. Robbery cases have similarly jumped (171 vs 114), and kidnappings more than doubled.
‘Disturbing pattern’
Observers say such incidents reflect a disturbing pattern of mob violence and question the government’s sincerity in restoring order.
Analysts point to a lack of decisive action and early complacency, which they argue has allowed violence and lawlessness to spiral unchecked.
BNP leaders have accused the administration of deliberately delaying justice to prolong instability ahead of the next election.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir blamed the absence of an elected government for the chaos, saying criminals are exploiting the delay in holding elections.
He and other leaders have accused the caretaker administration of dragging its feet on investigations.
In a July 12 address, Fakhrul demanded a swift probe into recent murders – including the Mitford case – “to identify the offenders and bring them to justice”.
He warned that the government will be held responsible for creating insecurity if free elections are delayed any further.
Police ‘working sincerely’
In response to the alarming trend, AIG (Media and Public Relations) of Police Headquarters, Enamul Haque Sagar, told Dhaka Tribune that the police are working with full sincerity to prevent crime.
“When incidents occur, police respond immediately. You’ve seen in recent cases how quickly perpetrators have been brought under the law. There is no compromise when it comes to tackling crime,” he said.
He added that addressing social and family instability is crucial, and that preventing crime requires active roles from not just police but also families, communities, and all conscious citizens.
“Tolerance and patience are essential. If any untoward incident occurs, people should report it to the police instead of taking the law into their own hands,” he said.
Source: Dhaka Tribune