More than a year since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is spiralling into lawlessness. The unelected interim government, headed by 83-year-old Muhammad Yunus, has ushered in a period marked by widespread violence, erosion of democratic norms, and rising religious extremism. Propped up by agitating factions and the military, Yunus’ regime is yet to announce a date for elections, and is instead ruling through fear, repression, and silence.
Bangladesh has witnessed an alarming spike in lynchings since August 5, 2024. According to data from the Canada-based Global Centre for Democratic Governance (GCDG), at least 637 people, including 41 police personnel, have been lynched over the past year.
For context, only 51 lynching incidents were reported in 2023, the last full year of Hasina’s rule.
The exponential surge in mob killings indicates not just the collapse of law and order, but a complete breakdown of institutional control. Worse, 70 per cent of the victims were reported to be from Hasina’s Bangladesh Awami League (BAL), clearly indicating that the violence is not random, but targeted.
Pakistan-backed Islamist groups unleashed
Among the chief perpetrators of the violence are Pakistan-backed Islamist groups who have gained prominence under Yunus’ rule. These groups have gone on a spree of retribution, attacking BAL supporters, burning homes, vandalising temples, and publicly punishing dissenters.
These Islamist outfits, some of whom openly espouse jihadist ideology, view Hindus, Ahmadiyas, and BAL cadres as enemies. They accuse minorities of being aligned with Hasina’s secular political ideology and are carrying out what many human rights observers have called an “undeclared pogrom.”
The interim government has done little to stop them. In fact, in several instances, it has enabled them, including by releasing extremist leaders from prison and allowing anti-Hindu and anti-BAL propaganda to flourish unchecked.
State-sponsored repression and democratic backsliding
Rather than restoring democratic order, the Yunus regime appears determined to erase the legacy of the Awami League. Not only has it banned BAL, it has also embarked on a dangerous project to erase Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s founding father and BAL's historical leader, from public consciousness.
Portraits of Mujib have been taken down, references scrubbed from school curricula, and pro-BAL voices in the media silenced. The regime has made no announcement of elections, nor has it set a timeline for returning the country to democratic governance.
In essence, the very groups that claimed to be “fighting for democracy” have instead facilitated an autocracy.
Targeted violence against minorities
Bangladesh’s Hindu and Ahmadiya communities have been among the worst hit. Dozens of reports have surfaced of homes being burned, families attacked, and temples desecrated -- all under the watch of a government that has made no effort to intervene.
This marks a stark reversal from the Hasina era, during which minority protections, while not perfect, were at least part of the state’s agenda. Under Yunus, religious majoritarianism and militant Islamism have been normalized, putting the very idea of secular Bangladesh at risk.
The continued absence of elections, the institutionalisation of violence, and the legitimisation of jihadist groups paint a grim picture of Bangladesh’s future. The international community has largely remained silent, possibly wary of angering the military or disrupting geopolitical balance.
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