Is mob violence the new 'normal'?

The Home Minister’s failure to condemn mob attacks and a weak law and order situation is emboldening mobs to take matters into their own hands. Photo: Collected

When a crime goes unpunished, it continues to happen regularly. And as it happens more often, it becomes normalised in society. The bigger threat is not the crime itself, but its normalisation. 

This phenomenon is just like road accidents in Bangladesh. Every day, if you flip through the newspaper, you will find one or two reports. After decades of going like this, such news no longer impacts us. We simply acknowledge it and move on to the next story. And in statistics, it just adds one number.

The question is, are we walking down the same path with mob violence?

Mob violence incidents have become frequent under the interim government, yet strict punishment for those involved in attacks remains absent.

The most recent incident occurred last night, when around a hundred people 'raided' the Gulshan residence of former Sirajganj-4 lawmaker Tanveer Imam, son of Hasina's late political adviser HT Imam, based on claims that he was storing illegal weapons, drugs and a large amount of money. 

Earlier in the night, an announcement was reportedly made through a social media post that a crowd of "student-public" would raid the house. Journalists from various media outlets were present and broadcasted the incident live. 

This incident took place even before the shock of the widely discussed incident in Lalmatia, where two young women were assaulted by a mob at a tea stall, could fade from our memories. Yet, no one was arrested or brought to justice in that case. Since both parties reached a settlement in the presence of the police, the interim government "considers" it resolved.

The day before the Gulshan residence "raid", two foreigners were attacked in Bashundhara R/A based on "suspicions of mugging". 

Previously, on 18 September, a Chhatra League activist named Shamim Molla was beaten to death at Jahangirnagar University. On 2 March, three suspected robbers were killed and four of their associates injured in a mob beating in Shariatpur.

Even just a few days ago, two suspected robbers were beaten to death by villagers during an attempted robbery in Satkania upazila of Chattogram. Meanwhile, in Bhola's Char Fasson, a man accused of theft was brutally beaten by an angry mob, who broke his limbs and gouged out both his eyes.

Earlier on 25 February, two men, suspected to be muggers, were beaten and hung upside down from a foot overbridge in Uttara by an angry mob.

On 18 September, a man named Tofazzal Hossain was beaten to death at Fazlul Haque Muslim Hall of Dhaka University on suspicion of being a phone thief. Before killing him, they even fed him a meal. How cruel can people be! The incident sparked intense criticism on social media at the time, but based on the list above, nothing really changed.

The list goes on and on. 

According to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), mob beatings claimed at least 128 lives last year, with 96 occurring between August and December. The number of such deaths was 51 in 2023. ASK reported that 2024 saw the highest number of  fatalities related to mob beatings in the past five years.

This year, in February alone, 17 incidents of mob beatings took place, resulting in 10 deaths, according to data by the Human Rights Support Society. In January, 16 people lost their lives at the hands of violent mobs, ASK data shows.

The sharp rise in such incidents runs the risk of people thinking the situation was much better in the past 15 years, and sanitising other grave human rights abuses committed by the Awami League regime. In fact, some people might be engaging in or initiating mob violence to this end and making the current interim government look unstable. 

Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court, believes that mob violence has taken the form of an epidemic today due to the continuous tolerance and encouragement of such actions from the beginning.

"I have been speaking out against mob violence from the very beginning. When the mob attacked Supreme Court lawyers, I spoke up then as well. The continuous tolerance of one incident after another has resulted in this situation today," he said.

He highlights that one of the key reasons behind the normalisation of mob violence is the failure of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

"The police must work to maintain law and order in the country. However, they have remained inactive. Despite much discussion about police reforms, in reality, we haven't seen much change," the lawyer said.

An important point is that mob violence is illegal, even if it is inflicted upon a criminal or the allies of the autocratic Awami League. 

"Mob violence, in any form, is a serious criminal offence. Whether it's directed at someone suspected of being a member of the Shibir, an Awami League member, or thieves and robbers, it remains a crime," said Barrister Barua.

Mob violence must be brought under the proper judicial system. Without a strong judicial system, we have no other alternative. But why are these perpetrators not being caught or punished?

"These incidents can't be prevented as they happen all of a sudden [unless there are prior indications]. But after the event, the government must set examples for strict punishment," said Muhammad Nurul Huda, former Inspector General of Police (IGP).

In the Lalmatia incident as well, he says, very mild statements were made; such words will not be effective in quelling the practice. 

"I don't see much optimism regarding police reform. The summary that has come out doesn't contain anything particularly substantive. The Home Affairs Adviser has already said that formation of a police commission is unnecessary. But it was a key demand," said the former IGP.

But it is not that mob violence never occurred during the Awami League regime. During their rule, we witnessed the brutal beating and killing of a mother, suspected of being a child abductor, while she was on her way to pick up her child from school. 

This has been a long-standing social issue, worsened now due to the lack of a stable government. However, setting aside the debate of whether it has increased or not, we must now focus on finding a solution.

What is the position of the interim government on this matter? On Tuesday, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said in a press conference that the interim government has always maintained a strong position against mob violence.

"Since we have not yet fully restored law and order, incidents of mob violence and moral policing have occurred in some areas. But the government's stance is clear — there is no scope for such actions," she said.

However, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua says, "We have heard such statements many times over the past 16 years. No more words — it's time for us to see some action."

Otherwise, horrific crimes like mob violence may become routine and normal. We might just look at the news and then move on to the next story.

Ariful Hasan Shuvo. Sketch: TBS