In the year following the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has descended into a condition of lawlessness under the interim leadership of Muhammad Yunus, an octogenarian supported by both the military and protestors as the nation’s unelected authority.
Amidst recurring assaults on the nation’s religious minorities, especially Hindus, mob violence has increasingly become commonplace in Bangladesh, affecting even the police force.
Since August 5, 2024, at least 637 individuals, including 41 police officers, have been victims of lynching in Bangladesh, as reported by the Canada-based Global Centre for Democratic Governance (GCDG) and published in The Economic Times.
In contrast, there were merely 51 instances of lynching in 2023 during Hasina’s administration.
Groups supported by Pakistan, many of which advocate for outright Islamist extremism, have been rampant in Bangladesh since Hasina’s ousting. They have launched a campaign of vengeance against political adversaries, particularly targeting the workers, activists, and leaders of Hasina’s Bangladesh Awami League (BAL). Additionally, they have assaulted the nation’s minorities, particularly Hindus, whom they accuse of aligning with Hasina.
Over the past year, Hindus have faced attacks on their homes, their residences have been set ablaze, and their temples have been assaulted. Rather than prioritizing the protection of minorities, Yunus has overseen a state endorsement of extremists, which has included actions such as the release of jihadist leaders from incarceration.
The majority of lynching victims were affiliated with Hasina’s party. According to local human rights organizations, approximately 70 percent of those lynched were members of Hasina’s BAL.
These victims have predominantly belonged to the Hindu and Ahmadiya Muslim communities, which have become favored targets for Islamists within the country.
Despite claims from activist groups that they are advocating for democracy, they have supported an unelected regime led by Yunus, which operates with minimal accountability. This regime has yet to declare an election date and continues to govern without any mandate from the populace.
Furthermore, in another instance of democratic regression, Yunus has prohibited BAL and has overseen efforts to erase BAL and its leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman — the nation’s founding figure — from the public’s memory.
