Bangladesh's Political Violence Epidemic: A Threat to Democracy

Bangladesh continues to be haunted by political violence. With just days to go before the long-awaited political polls on February 12, with the Muhammad Yunus interim overseeing the vote, Bangladesh has witnessed a fresh round of violence. Dozens of people, including several women, were injured in clashes between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami. Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Bangladesh has been suffering from political violence ever since the country got its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Let’s take a closer look at how political violence keeps cropping up during Bangladesh elections. According toIndia Today,over40 people were injured on Sunday night amid claims of cashbeing handed out to voters at a Jamaat programme. This came after BNP workers turned up at the event, which led to Jamaat rounding up their own workers. The ensuing confrontation on the streets, which continued into the early hours of the morning, left dozens injured. The outlet noted that around half a dozen people have been injured in poll-related violence in Bangladesh over the past few weeks. On Saturday, local media reported that over 100 people were injured after supporters of BNP candidates clashed in four districts. According toAl Jazeera,well over a dozen party activists have been killed since December 11, the day the Bangladesh Election Commission pronounced the poll dates. According to local media reports, BNP activists and leaders comprise 13 of the 16 victims. Prothom Alo,a Bangla daily,reported that seven of the victims were shot dead,underlining the widespread presence of illegal firearms. This includes Hasan Mollah, 42, a local BNP leader in Keraniganj, on January 23, and BNP activist Azizur Rahman Musabbir on January 7. Those within the party have been left alarmed. “Police say there was no political motive [behind Musabbir’s killing], but fear doesn’t disappear,” Kazi Shawon Alam, a leader of the BNP’s student wing in Dhaka, told the outlet. “We don’t want killings or confrontation with anyone. But the reality is, during elections, violence feels inevitable.” The BNP isn’t alone. Anwarullah, a 65-year-old ward-level leader of the Jamaat, was killed in his West Rajabazar neighbourhood in Dhaka in what police claim was a burglary. But perhaps the most high-profile killing came on December 12, just a day after the poll announcement. Sharif Osman Hadi, a spokesperson and leading organiser of Inquilab Mancha,was shot by motorcycle-borne gunmen in broad daylight in Dhaka. Hadi had emerged as an outspoken critic of both India and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. He was taken to Singapore for advanced medical treatment after his condition deteriorated. However, on December 18,it was announced that Hadi had succumbed to his injuries.News of the development resulted in an outpouring of violence across Bangladesh. Yunus at the time had vowed that “no leniency will be shown” to Hadi’s killers, urged citizens to remain calm and avoid being misled, advising people to stay away from “propaganda and rumours, and refrain from any rash decisions.” He claimed Hadi was an “enemy to the defeated forces and fascist terrorists”, an apparent reference to the now-disbanded Awami League. “Their evil efforts to frighten the revolutionaries will be completely thwarted,” Yunus added. Rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra counted 158 people killedand more than 7,000 injured in political violence between August 2024 and December 2025. According toThe Diplomat,many of these pre-poll violence incidents are clashes between supporters of party-nominated candidates and “rebel” contenders. This has held particularly true for the BNP. There are also clashes between supporters of the BNP and Jamaat. The Bangladesh Peace Observatory (BPO) has claimed that 49 deaths occurred around the 1991 election, 21 deaths occurred around the 2008 election, and 142 deaths occurred around the hotly disputed 2014 polls. As perThe Diplomat,the 2008 polls, conducted under army rule, were regarded as the least violent elections in Bangladesh’s history. The 2014 election, boycotted by both the BNP and Jamaat, witnessed at least 21 people killed on election day. Voting was halted at around 400 polling centres due to violence. TheBBCreported that at least 18 people were killed on polling day, while dozens of others were killed in the run-up to the election. The outlet reported that more than 150 voting centres were set ablaze, while the Election Commission said polls were held in only 147 districts. Meanwhile, candidates from 153 other districts were elected unopposed,CNNreported. BNP leader Khaleda Zia had called on her supporters to “completely boycott” what she derided as a “scandalous farce”. In 2018, UN human rights experts recorded 47 incidents of election-related violence prior to the polls. They said at least eight were killed and more than 560 injured. The election is largely regarded as a showdown at the polls between the BNP and the Jamaat. The BNP has tried to fly the banner of ‘Bangladesh First’, while the Jamaat is trying to rally the religious base. However, the Jamaat coalition includes nearly a dozen parties, including the student-led National Citizen Party, which helped topple the Hasina government. This is the first election being held since the Sheikh Hasina regime was toppled in August 2024. While Hasina herself fled to India, her Awami League party has been barred from the polls and its leaders have been imprisoned or gone into exile. Yunus, the chief adviser to the interim government, has claimed that the election will be a “grand festival”. He has vowed to make this the most free, fair and peaceful vote in the country’s history and to lay the foundation for a “new Bangladesh”. But history shows this is easier said than done. Bangladesh has said over 157,000 police officers, backed by 100,000 soldiers and other security forces, will guard Thursday’s vote. “We are 1,000 per cent confident about doing our part,” Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam told reporters in Dhaka. Alam said police had assessed that “more than 24,000 polling centres have been marked as either high-risk or moderately risky” for possible unrest, violence or ballot stuffing — more than half of the 42,000 centres nationwide. “The location of some centres is very remote, and there is intense competition and hostility among candidates and their supporters,” he said, adding that 1,300 police guns looted during the 2024 unrest have still not been recovered. “In high-risk and moderately risky centres, police will carry out patrol duty with body-worn cameras for the first time.” Alam said the police were determined to ensure the polls were peaceful, but said he accepted that distrust of his force remained. “It is quite understandable why people do not trust the police,” he said. “Over the last 15 years, based on what we have delivered — in fact, for the last 150 years — our predecessors mostly beat people.” Some are hopeful. “People couldn’t even vote during national elections. People had no voice,” Mohammad Rakib, 21, said. “I hope the next government, whoever comes into power, will ensure this freedom of expression.” Experts are unsurprised. “Violence is a feature of elections in Bangladesh,” Thomas Kean, a senior consultant on Myanmar and Bangladesh for the International Crisis Group, toldAnadolu. “While it is unfortunate to see political conflict increase as the election approaches, we should not be entirely surprised.” He added that there are “a number of factors that are contributing to this violence”, such as “ideological rivalries and political polarisation.” Zakaria Polash, a Bangladesh-based author and political analyst, added, “The situation is charged up. Tension is growing because the parties in contest are seeing the election as a do-or-die situation.” “It is now clear that the Jamaat and the NCP are now on the same alignment, looking forward to reforms if they can come into power, while the BNP seems to be slightly reluctant to accept all proposed reforms if they come into power,” Polash added. He said this has resulted in “the entire divide has been classified as the pro-reform vs. status quo binary.” With inputs from agencies A study found that texting the morning after a first date increases the desire to pursue a relationship more than texting immediately or waiting two days. Next-morning messages were rated highest for showing interest and reliability, while waiting too long to text had negative effects. Researchers recommend texting within 24 hours, ideally the next morning, to boost relationship prospects without seeming overeager. Get the latest stories delivered straight to your inbox.