Inciting Mob Violence: Empty Words over Lack of Adequate Response

On the 5th of September, 2025, a mob descended upon the shrine of Nurul Haque in Goalanda, Rajbari district, Bangladesh, marking another instance of mob rule in the country. The incident, which turned violent and unruly, resulted in the death of one person, Russel Molla, and left at least 22 others, including a journalist, injured.

The crowd, allegedly linked to local Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders, attacked police and civil service officers. Despite the presence of police and army personnel, their vehicles were vandalized, and officers were pelted with stones. The authorities, however, did not intervene until a large crowd had gathered.

The government, in response, condemned the act as "abhorrent" and "heinous", vowing "immediate and tough legal action". Seven people have already been arrested, and a case was filed against 3,500 unidentified individuals the next day. However, the lead perpetrators remain at large.

The government's handling of the situation has been a subject of criticism. Critics argue that the authorities waited until a large crowd had gathered before taking action against the agitators and ringle leaders. Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, however, disagrees, attributing the issue to growing intolerance and a lack of patience in society.

The necessity of more effective preventive measures, such as stopping agitators and ringleaders before they can gather the mob, has been emphasized. Experts urge the interim government to move beyond platitudes and deploy proactive policing, fast-track prosecutions, and amend laws to deter such atrocities.

This incident is not an isolated one. In the 13 months of the interim administration under Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, there have been at least 20 incidents of similar nature, with no meaningful action following. The penal code classifies grave desecration as a criminal offence, but the penalty is deemed inadequate.

The Goalanda incident is a stark reminder of the growing intolerance and lawlessness in Bangladesh. In July 2025, 80% of Bangladeshis expressed concern over rising violence in a survey done by the Voice for Reform and the Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD). The mob exhumed Haque's body, dragged it to the Dhaka-Khulna highway, and burned it, a grim testament to the escalating mob rule in the country.

Despite the escalating violence, there is a call for hope. The main suspects in the Goalanda incident were arrested in 2023, indicating that the authorities are taking actions against the mob. However, the question remains: Are these actions enough to stem the tide of mob rule in Bangladesh? The answer lies in the hands of the government and its commitment to enforcing existing laws, deploying proactive policing, and amending laws to deter such atrocities.