Two days after an anti-graft body expressed worries about political violence and attacks on minorities, a human rights organization has highlighted the escalating political and mob violence preceding Bangladesh’s February 12 general election. The Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) flagged the surge in mob violence and lynching as “extremely alarming,” with 413 incidents of mob beatings recorded nationwide during the 17-month rule of the current interim government.
The HRSS report, titled ‘Report on Violence Prior to the 13th National Parliamentary Election,’ emphasized the severity of these killings, noting that victims were often beaten to death or set on fire. The report revealed that at least 259 deaths resulted from these lynchings. Additionally, the report mentioned that at least five people have been killed and 970 injured in election-related violence across Bangladesh in the two months since the announcement of the 13th Parliamentary election schedule.
The HRSS study, compiled using data from various sources including national dailies and local newspapers, also indicated that during the same period, at least 60 people lost their lives in clashes with law enforcers, in custody, or due to torture. The report detailed various causes of deaths, including clashes, alleged “gunfights,” torture, law enforcement custody, and gunshot wounds.
The report further documented 56 attacks on minority communities, resulting in one fatality and 27 injuries, with 17 temples, 63 idols, and 65 homes vandalized. Moreover, six incidents of land grabbing targeting minority communities were recorded. The HRSS study covered a total of 162 violent incidents between December 11, 2025, and January 31, 2026, encompassing clashes, attacks, vandalism, and arson involving rival candidates and their supporters.
Presenting an overview of human rights conditions from September 2024 to January 2026, another HRSS report highlighted 1,411 incidents of political violence nationwide, leading to at least 195 deaths and 11,229 injuries. The report pointed out that 704 of these incidents stemmed from internal feuds within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its affiliated bodies, resulting in 121 deaths and 7,131 injuries. The conflicts were attributed to struggles for supremacy, political vengeance, rally-related violence, disputes over committee formation, extortion, and attempts to seize control of establishments.
A study by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) also noted over 50 attacks on minority communities in Bangladesh, alongside election-related violence that claimed the lives of at least 15 political leaders and activists across the country in the last 36 days.
