Security Shattered: Over One Thousand Murdered in 2025

The year 2025 has drawn to a close as one of the most violent periods in recent Bangladeshi history, defined by a staggering tally of over a thousand homicides and a pervasive sense of lawlessness. Despite the arrest of nearly 10,000 individuals in connection with narcotics and cybercrime, the fundamental safety of the citizenry remained precarious. Brazen daylight crimes became a routine occurrence, with over a hundred fatal clashes recorded over land disputes, extortion, and territorial dominance.

The final weeks of the year were particularly grim. On the evening of 24 December, a Chhatra Dal leader from Bhola was hacked to death whilst travelling to Dhaka to welcome BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. This followed the tragic death of Shakibul Hasan Rana, a meritorious science student at Tejgaon College, who succumbed to injuries on 10 December following a violent dormitory feud. Just two days later, the nation was gripped by the daylight assassination of Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi. Shot in the head by a group of assailants, Hadi was eventually flown to Singapore for emergency surgery but died on 18 December. That same day, a garment worker in Bhaluka, Dipu Chandra Das, was brutally lynched and set on fire over allegations of religious defamation, highlighting a terrifying breakdown in the rule of law.

National Crime and Fatality Statistics (2025 Summary)

Security analysts attribute this volatility to a “perfect storm” of weakened policing, the proliferation of illegal small arms, and the return of notorious “top terrorists” who were released during the political transitions of the previous year. The audacity of these criminals was on full display in November when local leader Golam Kibria was gunned down in Pallabi; in a move that shocked the public, the assassins also shot a rickshaw-puller who hesitated to facilitate their escape. Similarly, high-profile underworld figures such as Tarik Saif Mamun and Sarwar Hossain Babla were liquidated in busy urban areas, often near court precincts or crowded markets.

The Home Affairs Adviser, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, has attempted to reassure the public, asserting that the security situation will not deteriorate further ahead of the February 2026 general elections. However, human rights organisations remain sceptical. The Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) reported a sharp spike in political violence toward the end of the year, suggesting that the “shaky” security environment is deeply entrenched. As the country moves toward a pivotal democratic transition, the inability to curb public assassinations and mob justice remains a critical threat to national stability.