33 killed by mobs in three months

At least 33 people were killed in mob attacks across the country between April and June, according to a quarterly report released by Odhikar yesterday.

The report, Quarterly Human Rights Report: April-June 2026, also documented 41 deaths and 970 injuries in political violence during the three-month period.

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Most mob victims were beaten to death on suspicion of theft or robbery, while others were killed during informal village arbitration or over allegations of hurting religious sentiments.

Odhikar said the incidents reflected continued public distrust in law enforcement and the justice system, prompting people to take the law into their own hands.

The report recorded 57 incidents of internal conflict within the BNP and two within the National Citizen Party (NCP). Four people were killed and 400 injured in BNP infighting, while 16 were injured in NCP clashes.

It said internal BNP conflicts stemmed from disputes over extortion, territorial control, the sale of excavated soil, local election nominations, party conferences and political programmes. Firearms and other lethal weapons were reportedly used in several clashes.

Odhikar also alleged that BNP leaders and activists were involved in extortion, land grabbing, abduction, rape, attacks on educational institutions and government offices, interference in police work, and assaults on political opponents.

It said allegations of violence and other criminal activities were also made against leaders and activists of the banned Awami League and its affiliated organisations.

The organisation documented 255 rape victims during the quarter, including 93 women and 161 girls.

Odhikar said rape trials continued to be hampered by shortages of DNA laboratories, delays in medical reports, the absence of laws protecting victims and witnesses, and court backlogs.

The report documented three alleged extrajudicial killings. One person was allegedly tortured to death by Detective Branch personnel, another was beaten to death during a Department of Narcotics Control operation, and a fisherman was allegedly shot dead by a Forest Department patrol team.

It also recorded one alleged enforced disappearance. Fisherman Miraj Sheikh was reportedly taken away from Mongla, Bagerhat, on April 10.

According to the report, more than 85,000 inmates were being held in the country’s 75 prisons as of May 17, against a capacity of 43,157.

Sixteen prisoners reportedly died from illness during the quarter. Odhikar said overcrowding, inadequate nutrition and a shortage of doctors continued to deprive inmates of proper healthcare.

The organisation also documented 17 journalists injured, five assaulted, four attacked and seven threatened while carrying out professional duties.

The report said seven Bangladeshis were killed and three injured by India’s Border Security Force during the quarter. Six were allegedly shot dead, and one was tortured to death.

Odhikar called for independent investigations into alleged extrajudicial killings, custodial torture and other abuses by law enforcement agencies and demanded accountability for those responsible.

It also recommended amending the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act, 2013, fulfilling Bangladesh’s obligations under the UN Convention against Torture and its Optional Protocol, establishing a National Preventive Mechanism, and enacting laws based on 20 ordinances issued by the interim government that later lapsed.