Mob violence has become one of the most disturbing features of Bangladesh’s fragile transition. According to the Human Rights Support Society, 130 people were beaten to death and 212 injured in just nine months this year. These are not isolated incidents; they reveal a pattern of public anger, eroding trust in institutions, and an alarming absence of accountability.
The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus came to power promising a clean break from the impunity that marked previous regimes. Yet months later, ordinary citizens continue to die in the streets at the hands of vigilantes who act without fear of consequence. Restoring law and order cannot wait.
The government must immediately strengthen community policing, ensure swift investigation and prosecution of mob killings, and make an example of those who incite or condone violence. A society where mobs replace the courts cannot claim to be on the path to democracy. Bangladesh’s new leadership must prove that justice belongs to the state, not the street.