Unprecedented level of ‘mob justice’ can turn Bangladesh into a failed state, says criminologist

People walk past vandalised shops following a clash between a tribal group and settlers in Rangamati, in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts on September 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

In the backdrop of the sudden eruption of inter-ethnic violence between the indigenous population of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and the people from the plains, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Prof Mohammad Yunus acknowledged that the violence was triggered by an act of mob justice (gonopituni) and appealed to the people to allow the law enforcement agencies to carry out their responsibilities. The appeal is extraordinary as it is the first time that the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh has directly named the problem of ‘mob justice’ that has proliferated after the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was deposed on August 5.

The problem is unprecedented and can turn Bangladesh into a failed state, said a leading criminologist of Bangladesh.

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“The government is deeply saddened by the ongoing violence that began after an incident of mob violence on September 18. The government has instructed all law and order forces to show maximum restraint and ensure the safety of all people living in the three hill districts,” said Prof Yunus in his statement. There has been frequent occurrence of mob justice or lynching in Bangladesh over the past five weeks and the Inter Services Public Relations of the Bangladesh Army echoed Prof Yunus’ remarks and informed that the flare up in CHT was triggered by the lynching of a man who was accused of theft.

Incidents of mob justice or mob bullying began almost immediately after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina administration with students often forcing college and university teachers to resign citing political affiliation. A particularly brutal incident came to light on September 8 when Abdullah Al Masud, a member of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. Masud who worked at the Rajshahi University was surrounded by a mob of nearly 100 individuals and was beaten to death. The incident was widely condemned as Masud was differentially-abled and wore a prosthetic leg. The attacking mob accused him of attacking the student protesters on August 5 when Ms. Hasina fled to India.

On September 18, a student activist of Bangladesh Chhatra League Shamim Ahmed was beaten to death by a group of students in the Jehangir Nagar University, one of the top universities of Bangladesh. The killing of Shamim Ahmed came after days of mob action against Islamic shrines several of which were vandalized and burnt down. These incidents prompted Adviser of Home Affairs Jehangir Alam Choudhury to say that mob actions will not be tolerated. “If anyone commits any crimes, then the person should be handed over to the law. You have no right to take the law into your hands,” he said, replying to reporters’ query after a meeting with top police officials at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters. Law adviser and student leader Nahid Islam also condemned the lynchings warning of ‘stern actions’.

Condemnation of lynchings and mob violence targeting religious or political groups however did not have the required impact till now. The escalating number of such actions spreading from Dhaka to Chittagong and from Rajshahi to Comilla have alarmed law and order officials and researchers who are warning that if unchecked these actions could trigger much bigger violence as evident in the eruption of large scale violence in Chittagong Hill Tracts.

“The condemnation of the lynchings and mob justice is not getting reflected among the supporters of the interim government. Bangladesh is on the verge of becoming a failed state if the lynchings are not deterred,” said Monira Nazmi Jahan, Doctoral Researcher on Digital Criminology at the University of Manchester. Ms Jahan pointed out that mob violence or lynching is not a new phenomenon in Bangladesh as such incidents also took place in the past. “However, the extent of the mob violence and the way that they are targeting teachers asking them to resign, and the way that they are focusing on Sufi shrines and even against graves of political opponents, is truly unprecedented,” said Ms Jahan cautioning about the phenomenon as such incidents have the potential of morphing into inter-community violence