Mob violence in the country continues, costing lives and damaging property despite the assurance of the present government to eliminate such incidents.
A recent quarterly study report of Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) shows that at least 49 people were killed and 80 injured in 88 incidents of mob violence from January to March this year.
On Saturday, a pir named Shamim Reza (Jahangir), became the latest victim in the mob crime. He was beaten to death after several hundred people stormed into his shrine at Philipnagar village of Kushtia’s Daulatpur upazila over allegations of blasphemy.
The mob also set fire to the shrine after vandalising it, allegedly in the presence of the police.
The incidents occurred on charges of theft, robbery, mugging and defamatory statements and speeches against religions and due to hot argument, dominance over supremacy and some other reasons, says the report.
According to the Ain o Salish Kendra, 23 people were killed in mob violence in the two months from January to February this year.
It shows in its yearly report that 198 people were killed in such violence in 2025.
Regarding the mob violence in Kushtia on Saturday, locals said Shamim Reza, who was well-educated, had been engaged in religious activities through his shrine for years. Recently, some of his statements spread on social media, angering a section of local people. He was accused of making offensive remarks about Islam.
The police said the incident was triggered by a viral video, which is initially suspected to be old. However, violence erupted before the authenticity of the video could be verified—highlighting the dangerous consequences of emotionally driven reactions without fact-checking.
After tensions built up in the morning, several hundred people gathered by noon and attacked the shrine. Witnesses said Jahangir and his followers were assaulted and severely beaten. He was taken to Daulatpur Upazila Health Complex in critical condition where he later died while undergoing treatment.
Although the police were present at the scene, the situation quickly spiralled out of control, said locals.
Officer-in-Charge of Daulatpur Police Station Arifur Rahman told the the media that a small number of police personnel were unable to manage the large crowd.
According to sources, Shamim Reza had previously faced similar allegations in 2021 and was arrested at that time.
On 30 March, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the interim government had failed to control mob violence because it was weak, adding that the BNP government was not giving any space to mob violence or disorder.
He made the remarks during a courtesy meeting with French Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet at the Secretariat, according to a home ministry press bulletin.
Crime analyst Dr Md Omar Faruk, professor at Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, told the media that social class, politics and the economy are related to mob crime.
“One group tries to prove superiority by showing power over another through mob violence. As there is hardly any ensured exemplary punishment, violence continues unabated. There is lack of rule of law in this regard,” he said.
Although the government declared a zero-tolerance policy against such crimes, the reality is far from this.
When contacted, Additional Secretary (Police Wing) of the Ministry of Home Affairs Md Ataur Rahman Khan told the media that they are working under the declared zero-tolerance policy and hoped that such crime can be reduced.
Courtesy: Daily Sun.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
