Bangladeshis rise against mounting lawlessness, US intelligence expresses concern 

By P.K.Balachandran

Colombo, March 17- Mounting lawlessness in Bangladesh has triggered widespread street protests against the inaction and incompetence of the Muhammad Yunus-led Interim Government. US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard has expressed America’s concern in no uncertain terms.  Neighbouring India is helplessly watching the deterioration in governance at its very doorstep.

While Bangladeshi politicians are interminably debating post-Hasina political reforms, elections, and ways to neutralize ousted Premier Sheikh Hasina, the average Bangladeshi is worried about the near-complete breakdown of law order, seen in a spate of mob lynching and mounting cases of rape and gender violence since the Interim Government led by Dr.Yunus took over in August 2024.

According to the Human Rights Support Society of Bangladesh (HRSS), at least 119 people were killed and 74 injured in 114 mob lynching cases in seven months since the Interim Government took office. In January and February alone, there were 30 cases of mob lynching, resulting in 19 deaths and 20 injuries, the report added. 

The HRSS Executive Director Ijazul Islam, said that those lynched were suspected thieves, muggers, child kidnapers and violators of Islamic codes for females. Cases were filed, but few were fully investigated, with the result, the perpetrators went unpunished, Ijazul Islam added. 

Though mob lynching has been a long-standing issue in Bangladesh, it has intensified now given the deterioration in political conditions since August last year when there was a sudden change of regime. More groups are feeling empowered to take the law into their hands. Given the inherent weakness of the Muhammad Yunus- led Interim Government, a manifest disorganization in the police, judiciary and the bureaucracy, and with the army playing a mute spectator, it is now a free for all. “Might is Right” in this state of anomie. 

As per the HRSS report again, in January and February 2005, there were 107 cases of rape, amongst which, child rape numbered 66 and gang rape 27. There was one murder after rape.

However, the problem of rape is not new. Quoting statistics from the Law and Arbitration Centre, Reuters said that 3,438 child rape cases were filed in Bangladesh in the last eight years. Actually there were many more child rape victims than reported. At least 539 of them were under the age of six, and 933 between the ages of seven and twelve. Research showed that in most cases, children were sexually abused or raped by people they knew.

Be that as it may, some of the recent cases are shocking. In Chittagong, a 52-year-old man was apprehended for raping a 10-year-old girl. In Dhaka, a 13-year-old child was admitted to the One-Stop Crisis Centre at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) following a brutal sexual assault by her close relations. The girl died in hospital. 

A father was accused of raping his own daughter.  A pregnant woman was gang-raped in Keraniganj. A stepfather in Narayanganj was arrested for filming and attempting to rape a teenage girl. According to police headquarters data, put out in the media, the cases of violence against women and children had surged by 19.5% from December 2024 to January 2025.

Harassment of Modern Women  

On March 1, a man, Golam Mostakim Rintu, took offence to two young women smoking at a tea stall in Dhaka’s Lalmatia area and abused them. An altercation that followed led to an assault on the women by the self-styled moral policeman and his gang.  Golam Mostakim Rintu had grabbed the women’s hair, slapped and kicked them. A bystander who had rushed to the aid of the girls, was beaten black and blue. A 11-second video footage of the incident went viral.  

What was more shocking, was the authorities’ response to the incident. Instead of condemning the mob attack, Home Advisor Gen. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury focused on the “offence of smoking in public spaces.” Mahiya Tabassum of The Daily Star pointed out that according to the Smoking and Use of Tobacco Products (Control) Act, 2005, the location where the incident took place—a roadside tea stall—did not qualify as a “designated non-smoking public place.” Gen.Chowdhury’s attempt to shift the focus from the violence to the act of smoking in a public place was but a blatant effort to justify the assault and absolve the perpetrators, Tabassum wrote. 

Chowdhury’s stance only bolstered those who would use the religious card to “justify” the moral policing of women. Tabassum wondered if religious sensitivities could be used as an excuse to harass and curb women’s freedom to choose their lifestyle? She charged that the Interim Government of Muhammad Yunus is more interested in placating its religious fundamentalist partners (like the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh) than in protecting the rights of Bangladesh’s women.

Compromise Agreement

Despite the clear violations of the law, no legal action was taken against Rintu and others who attacked the women smokers.  Instead, the victims were pressured into entering into a “compromise agreement.” The agreement was signed by the victims’ parents and not the victims themselves, undermining their autonomy and legal standing as adults, Tabassum pointed out. 

The media also reported that “someone identifying himself as a powerful individual” had called the father of one of the victims and coerced him into signing it, further complicating the issue. The fact that law enforcement agencies had facilitated this agreement instead of proceeding with legal action reflected a gross misuse of discretionary power, Tabssum said.   

She went on to say that police are resorting to such “compromise agreements” to cover up Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases.  The reluctance to hold male perpetrators of GBV accountable reinforces the prevailing culture of impunity, where women are expected to endure harassment and violence without any recourse to justice, she pointed out.

Misogyny runs deep in Bangladesh and in the Indian subcontinent in general. “The entire ecosystem—spanning government officials, the media, law enforcement, and political parties—continues to perpetuate abuse,” Tabassum noted. She also highlighted the nefarious role of the media in diverting attention from the crime to something else only to save the perpetrators. For example, some media outlets reported that the protests staged by women against the spate of rapes was an “Indian conspiracy.”

Laws Disregarded  

Bangladesh has strong laws to protect women, including the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act (2000) and the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act (2010). 

But commentator Farzana Hoque asked, “What good are laws if they are not enforced?” She points out that women who report rape, harassment, or domestic abuse often find that police do not take them seriously. Court cases drag on for years and many criminals walk away free. Survivors who seek justice are often shamed, threatened, or pressured into staying silent. Justice delayed is justice denied but in Bangladesh, justice is often never rendered at all, Hoque submits.

Nothing explains the problem of gender bias better than what happened at Dhaka University (DU) recently. A female student was harassed just because her dupatta (scarf) was not in the “right place.” The harasser, one Arnob Sardar, felt it was his right to police what she wore. But the girl student stood up for herself and filed a police complaint. Sardar was arrested, but only to be let off on bail soon. 

The rise of digital platforms has also created new dangers. Women now face cyber harassment, online threats, and blackmail. Here too, instead of taking action, authorities often advise victims to “just ignore it,” Hoque points out.

Public Outcry 

The case of an 8-year-old girl being raped by her relations set off a huge public outcry. Student groups organised protests and human chains to demand justice and greater protection for women. Several groups demanded the resignation of Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. In response, the police launched a special hotline to address cases of domestic violence, sexual harassment, and rape. Collection of statistics is important, but if no action follows the exercise will be futile.

The “Bangladesh against Rape and Abuse,” a platform consisting of female activists and concerned citizens, had burned an effigy of the Home Affairs Adviser Gen. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury condemning the inaction against Golam Mostakim Rintu.  

US Concern

The Director of US National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in New Delhi on Monday that the situation in Bangladesh is a “major area of concern” for the United States, citing the persecution of religious minorities. In an interview with NDTV World, when asked about the situation in Bangladesh, she said, “The long-time unfortunate persecution, killing, and abuse of religious minorities—Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Catholics, and others—have been a major area of concern for the US government, President Trump and his administration.”

“The talks are just beginning between President Trump’s new cabinet coming in and the Government of Bangladesh but this continues to remain a central focus area of concern. The threat of Islamist terrorists, and their overall effort, the global effort of all of these different groups, are rooted in the same ideology and objective — which is to rule or govern with an Islamist Caliphate. This obviously affects people of any other religion, other than the one that they find acceptable, and they chose to carry this out with terror and very violent ways and means.”

She further said, “President Trump remains committed to identifying the ideology that drives Islamist terrorism, and working to defeat this ideology and their ability to exact that terror on people, the American people and others.”

END