Mob killings mark sharp rise
Deaths in mob beatings marked a sharp rise this year due to poor law enforcement, a lack of trust in police, and a sense of impunity among the perpetrators, according to Ain O Salish Kendra and experts.
At least 100 people were killed by mobs in the first 10 months of this year, and 68 of them were in three months (August-October) alone, according to ASK, a rights organisation.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The tally is the highest since 2015 when 135 people were killed, the ASK data shows. The country witnessed political unrest that year.
The annual count stayed between 65 and 28 since then and until this year.
At least 28 people were killed in mob violence in September, the highest monthly number this year, followed by 21 in August and 19 in October, according to the ASK data, prepared from media reports and its own findings.
Legal experts and human rights activists described the situation as a disturbing trend and blamed it on law enforcement agencies' poor response to mob violence. The trend also indicates that Bangladesh has been struggling to restore law and order since the fall of the Hasina-led government on August 5, they said.
Of the 100 killings, 44 were in Dhaka division, 16 were in Rajshahi division, 13 in Chattogram, 11 in Khulna, six in Barishal, four each in Rangpur and Mymensingh and two in Sylhet division.
After the fall of the Awami League government in August, police were not on the ground for around two weeks and that's when mob violence increased and apparently peaked in September.
There was mob violence in two top universities in the country that month.
On September 18, former Chhatra League leader of Jahangirnagar University Shamim Molla was beaten up by students twice on campus. He died of his injuries that day.
At Dhaka University, Tofazzal Hossain, known to be a wanderer on campus, died after a mob in Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall beat him up.
In late September, this newspaper talked to 16 officers-in-charge about 21 mob-violence related deaths over the previous 40 days. They said 11 cases had been filed over the incidents, no case was filed regarding two incidents they knew about.
On October 30, six people were killed in three incidents in Narail, Chapainawabganj and Dhaka. Cases were filed, but there were no arrests till November 5 when this correspondent talked to the police stations concerned.
ZI Khan Panna, chairperson of ASK, thinks the deteriorating law and order situation is to blame for the spike in the number of deaths in mob beatings.
He said although the number of deaths in mob violence spiked recently, it has been going on for a long time, and a lack of confidence in police and the judiciary is a reason for this.
It is a kind of extrajudicial killing carried out by agitated people. The other type of extrajudicial killing is committed by law enforcement agencies, he said, adding, "Both are harmful for the state."
Sara Hossain, honorary executive director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), said police were not on duty for quite a while in August. Besides, the number of army personnel was not adequate.
"That's why the number of mob attacks was high in August. But it [mob violence] continues to reflect that the presence of law enforcers is not enough," she told The Daily Star on November 6.
There were some incidents that may have had political links while there were incidents when people took the law into their own hands, believing the victims were criminals. "People taking law into their own hands is a matter of serious concern. This should not be happening," the prominent rights activist said.
Sara Hossain, also a senior SC lawyer, recommended ensuring that people have trust in the judiciary.
Apart from making law enforcers more vigilant, a change in society is needed because, in most cases, people remain silent when an incident of mob violence takes place, she said.
Besides, it is necessary to bring the people involved in mob violence to book, she added.
The Daily Star tried to contract Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and Public Security Division's Senior Secretary Mohammad Abdul Momen for comments last night but they did not respond to phone calls and text messages.
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