Mob lynches two in Bangladesh capital

Dhaka, Sep 10 (PTI) Mobbers on Wednesday lynched two people in an interval of three hours in the Bangladesh capital amid growing concerns of deteriorating law and order situation, with rights groups and media raising alarm.

Two youths, in their early 20s, were beaten to death in separate incidents at Dhaka’s Mohammadpur, the Prothom Alo newspaper reported.  They were suspected of mugging.  Two days ago, another youth was lynched in the same neighbourhood on similar charges, the newspaper added.  Leading Bangladeshi rights group Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) last month reported that 124 people were lynched in first eight months of 2025, while the Prothom Alo said nine people were lynched in the first 10 days of August alone in sporadic mob violence.

  The rights groups said in most cases the victims were exposed to lynching on false rumours.

  Home affairs adviser of Professor Muhammad Yunus’ interim government, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, earlier this week said the “law and order situation has slightly deteriorated” but the government was taking necessary steps to address the issue.

The Daily Star newspaper expressed deep concern regarding frequent mob violence and lynching ahead of the planned Bangladesh elections in February next year in an editorial titled “Rein in mob attacks before the election”.

  “We are disturbed by the persistent occurrence of mob violence in the country. Between January and August this year, there have been 124 deaths from mob attacks as per data from Ain o Salish Kendra,” the editorial read.

  Earlier this week, Bangladesh was shocked when an Islamist mob burnt the corpse of Sufi Darvesh Nura Pagla, desecrating his grave two weeks after his death, claiming themselves as a Muslim “monotheistic mass”.

  A subsequent clash between Pagla’s followers and the Islamists left one person dead and over 100 wounded when vehicles of police and the local administrative chief were set on fire.

  BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) and Voice for Reform in a survey report last month said around 80 per cent of Bangladeshis were concerned about increasing mob violence, while significant portions of them were particularly worried about women's safety. PTI AR  RD RD