We are deeply disturbed by the repeated incidents of harassment of women in public places over the past month by individuals who apparently consider themselves above the law. In the latest incident, a group of men led by Mohammad Farokul Islam, a local resident, attacked several women in Cox's Bazar on the night of September 11. Video footage showing the men beating the women with sticks and verbally abusing them has been circulating on social media, as the group themselves posted the videos, boasting about their actions. Last month, we encountered a similar video showing a man harassing and beating women in the capital's Shyamoli area with a stick. These incidents of vigilante justice are a troubling sign for the country and calls for urgent action by our law enforcement agencies.

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Ensure women’s security in public spaces

Reportedly, the men verbally abused a woman at the beach and forced her to do sit-ups while holding her ears. They also questioned another woman about her presence late at night and forced her to leave the beach. In yet another incident, Farokul, the ringleader, was seen repeatedly hitting a woman with sticks while she lay on the floor begging them to stop. The question is, what were the tourist police doing when these criminal offences took place? Farokul even defended their actions on Facebook, labelling the women they attacked as "prostitutes." Even if his claims were true, who gave them the right to beat and harass them? This trend of mob justice, moral policing, and targeted attacks on women must stop.

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The state of mob justice in Bangladesh

Since a case has been filed against six people including Farokul, after his detention on September 13, we urge the police to immediately arrest all the others responsible for the attacks on women in Cox's Bazar. It also needs to be investigated whether anyone in the local administration is behind the group, as Farokul claimed that he was being backed by the administration.

We also call upon the home adviser and the police to send out a strong message that mob beatings and attacks on women won't be tolerated anymore. And that if anyone is involved in vigilante justice, they should be handed over to the police. It is only through upholding the rule of law and ensuring justice for victims that we can eradicate these heinous practices from the country.