Political violence hits four-year high

Political violence in Bangladesh reached a four-year high during the first 13 months of the interim government, with at least 1,047 incidents leaving 160 people dead and more than 8,000 injured, according to data from the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS).

Most of those killed were affiliated with the BNP, followed by the Awami League, with the majority of deaths occurring in intra-party clashes, alongside confrontations between BNP and AL supporters. Of the 160 people killed, 104 were from BNP and 38 from AL.

HRSS compiled its annual data from 15 national newspapers and its own field reports. The latest report covers the first 13 months of the interim government.

Intra-BNP clashes saw the highest fatalities, with 577 such incidents leaving 88 dead. A total of 221 BNP-AL confrontations claimed 34 lives. Of the 38 AL men killed, 12 died in intra-party violence, while most of the rest were killed during clashes with BNP men.

Meanwhile, three Jamaat-e-Islami activists, one from NCP, and ten from the UPDF were also killed, while four others, including one woman, had no identifiable political affiliation.

According to HRSS, the Jamaat activists were killed in clashes with BNP and AL supporters, while the NCP member died in an Awami League–NCP confrontation. The report did not specify how 10 UPDF activists were killed.

Meanwhile, the rights watchdog also recorded at least 171 incidents of attacks by miscreants on political party leaders and activists, resulting in at least 120 other deaths and over 200 injuries.

HRSS data show that 82 people were killed in 2021, 92 in 2022, 96 in 2023, and 160 between September 2024 and September 2025 in political violence.

Political violence in 2021 and 2022 was largely driven by internal feuds and dominance disputes within Awami League, while in 2023 it mainly stemmed from clashes between AL and BNP supporters during opposition marches and counter "peace rallies".

The report noted that most of the violence resulted from power struggles, factional disputes over committee formation, and efforts to assert territorial control across different parts of the country.

Despite the change in government, the overall human rights and law-and-order situation has not improved, HRSS said, with new forms of political and mob violence emerging over the past year.

It also recorded attacks near courts and police stations, growing tensions among student groups, and continued assaults on journalists and minorities.

HRSS urged political parties to promote internal democracy and accountability and called on the interim government to uphold citizens' constitutional rights and the rule of law.

"To establish the rule of law and democracy and improve the human rights situation, every political party must play a more responsible role," the HRSS report said.

"Unless these issues are addressed, the overall human rights situation of the country will further deteriorate," it warned.