121 Killed, Over 5,000 Injured in 11 Months of Political Violence: TIB

From August last year to June this year, 471 incidents of political violence across Bangladesh resulted in 121 deaths and 5,189 injuries, according to a report by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

The organization revealed that 92% of these incidents involved the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), 22% involved the Awami League, 5% involved Jamaat-e-Islami, and 1% involved the National Citizens Party (NCP). The findings were presented on Monday, August 4, 2025, during a press conference at TIB’s conference room in Dhaka’s MIDAS Centre, where the research report titled *New Bangladesh: Observations on the Year Following the Fall of an Authoritarian Government* was unveiled. The report highlighted that political party leaders and activists were engaged in activities such as extortion, seizing control of transport terminals, and dominating businesses. Researcher Zulkarnaian noted, “We observed a lack of respect for the law among many political parties. There is also a lack of internal discipline, preventing them from taking action against errant members. The interim government has shown a tendency to shield such activities. We also noticed political party members uniting for personal gain.” TIB’s Executive Director, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, stated, “While the interim government has initiated several reforms, many are ad hoc and lack a clear implementation framework. In some cases, the government has had to backtrack due to pressure from specific political groups.” He added, “We’ve seen a newly formed political party, the interim government, and some political party members involved in corruption and conflicts of interest. While we ended an authoritarian regime, we are not doing enough to dismantle the authoritarian system.” The report noted that legal action has begun against members of various forces involved in killings during the July uprising. Over the past 11 months, 1,168 police personnel have been named as accused in 761 cases, with 61 arrests. Nationwide, 1,602 cases, including 638 murder cases, have been filed against those who attacked or incited violence against students and civilians. Approximately 87 ministers and parliament members from the ousted government have been arrested. Around 70% of these cases have shown “satisfactory progress” in investigations, with 60–70 murder cases nearing completion. The International Crimes Tribunal has been operational for a year, receiving 429 complaints and filing 27 cases. Of the 206 accused, including Sheikh Hasina, 73 have been arrested. The tribunal began trials before amendments to the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act, but the judicial process remains slow. Trials for those involved in the July–August mass killings are ongoing.

The report also highlighted a deterioration in law and order, with ongoing incidents of murder, robbery, theft, snatching, rape, protests, looting, and anarchy. Mob justice, including lynchings, has risen alarmingly. Allegations of mass arrests, arrest-related corruption, politically motivated arrests, extrajudicial killings, and deaths in custody persist. Police actions to suppress protests have shown bias, with leniency toward some groups and repression against others.