119 killed by mobs in seven months in Bangladesh

By TRN Online, Mar 6 (Dhaka Tribune): At least 114 incidents of mob beatings occurred in the seven months following the interim government's assumption of power in August last year until February of this year, resulting in 119 deaths and 74 injuries, according to a report by the rights organization Human Rights Support Society (HRSS).

Additionally, in January and February alone, at least 30 such incidents took place in the country, leading to the deaths of 19 individuals and injuries to 20 others, the report says.

According to HRSS, over the past 10 years, at least 792 people have died in mob beatings, while 765 have been injured. 

The highest number of such incidents within the past decade was recorded last year, with 201 cases resulting in 179 deaths and 88 injuries.

Similar to last year, mob beatings were also notably high in 2015 and 2016, during which 232 people were killed in such attacks.

Among the incidents, on the night of March 3, two individuals were lynched in Eochia, Chittagong, following an announcement through a loudspeaker claiming that robbers had entered the area. 

Most recently, on Tuesday at midnight, a group forcefully entered a house in Gulshan, ransacking and looting the premises under the pretense of conducting a "search."

HRSS reported that on February 28, in Shariatpur, seven individuals were subjected to mob beatings over a robbery, resulting in five deaths. 

A day earlier, in Uttara, Dhaka, two suspected muggers were tied by their feet and hung upside down.

Apart from these cases, mob violence was also been reported in Bogra, Madaripur, Tangail, Khulna, Tongi, Rajshahi and Barisal.

HRSS Executive Director Ejazul Islam identified several key factors contributing to the rise of mob violence in the country.

Some individuals were using mob beatings as a means of political revenge, he said.

“Law enforcement agencies, particularly the police and RAB, are not fully effective. Moreover, an increase in theft, mugging and robbery has fuelled public frustration, leading people to take justice into their own hands.”

Perpetrators of mob violence rarely faced punishment, encouraging further incidents, he remarked.

Certain self-interested groups or individuals were deliberately creating anarchy, Ejazul said, adding that lack of public awareness about legal consequences and justice mechanisms had also contributed to the rise in mob attacks.

The data for the past decade was compiled based on reports from various Bangladeshi media outlets and information collected by the Human Rights Support Society.