Published: 12:44 AM, 16 June 2026
Bangladesh’s Law and Order Collapse Imperils Public Safety
The social contract is a fragile pact. Citizens surrender a portion of their absolute liberty to the state, and in return, the state guarantees the most fundamental of all rights: the right to life and physical security. Today, in Bangladesh, that pact is not just fraying; it is being systematically dismantled. As the nation grapples with a surge in violence that spares neither the political elite nor the common citizen, the rhetoric of progress emanating from the corridors of power stands in jarring, grotesque contrast to the blood-stained reality on our streets.
The recent spate of violence is not merely a collection of isolated criminal acts; it is a clinical manifestation of a society descending into anarchy, where the predators have ceased to fear the law, and the victims have lost faith in the state’s capacity to protect them.
Consider the chilling sequence of events that have defined our recent headlines. In the heart of the capital, just outside the Suhrawardy Hospital, a woman was snatched from a moving rickshaw by opportunistic muggers. Her death, following a four-day struggle for survival, was not just a tragedy; it was a testament to the absolute absence of public safety. When citizens are not safe even in the proximity of major healthcare institutions, the state’s claim to order becomes a cruel joke.
In Khulna, the mask of state authority was ripped away on a Friday. Amidst a supposed special police operation, BNP leader Rafiqul Islam Gazi was executed in broad daylight. The methodology—helmeted assailants on motorcycles, firing at point-blank range—is the hallmark of a professionalized criminal class that operates with the confidence of those who know they are untouchable.
On that same day, in the Rampura area of Dhaka, the shooting of a known underworld figure, Kaila Palash, underscored a disturbing truth: the criminals are now settling their own scores on public streets, treating our neighborhoods as their private battlegrounds. Even the supposed guardians of the law are no longer immune. The stabbing of two police officers in the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area at midnight signifies a terminal decline in the deterrent power of the state. If the police cannot protect themselves, what hope is left for the defenseless civilian?
Beyond the headlines of targeted hits and muggings lies the silent, agonizing epidemic of sexual violence. From systemic, gang-style rapes to the horrific case of Ramisa—a name that has become a synonym for our collective failure—the message to the women of this country is clear: the state is a silent bystander.
During the first 100 days of the government, crimes such as murder, robbery, mugging, and abduction increased at an alarming rate across the country, according to a research report published by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
The findings were presented at a press conference held on June 7 at the Midas Centre in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. During the event, TIB highlighted the state of crime and human rights violations during BNP government’s first 100 days following the 13th National Parliamentary Election.
According to the report, a total of 605 murders were recorded across the country in March and April alone. During the same period, there were 196 cases of abduction, 294 incidents of mugging, and 90 robberies.
The report further revealed that 129 attacks were carried out against police personnel during this period. In addition, 2,214 theft cases were reported, while incidents of violence against women and children reached 3,496. Between March and April, the number of rape victims ranged from 78 to 102, while 30 to 36 people were subjected to gang rape. The number of child rape victims ranged from 49 to 71.
The report also documented between 69 and 80 incidents of mob violence and lynching. As a result, between 31 and 42 people were killed and 70 to 125 were injured in mob attacks. Deaths in custody ranged from 14 to 18 cases. Five individuals were injured due to torture by law enforcement agencies, one person fell victim to an extrajudicial killing, seven people were arrested on allegations of hurting or insulting religious sentiments, and three incidents of communal unrest were recorded.
The central question, and the one the current administration seems most desperate to evade, is not why are criminals committing crimes? Criminals, by definition, operate within the vacuum of opportunity. The real question is: why are they allowed the oxygen to operate?
We are told by the government that the law and order situation has improved. This is not merely a misinterpretation of data; it is an act of gaslighting a nation in mourning. When the executive branch prioritizes political survival over public safety, the law enforcement apparatus inevitably loses its edge. The police, the intelligence agencies, and the Ministry of Home Affairs seem caught in a paralysis—partly due to incompetence, but largely due to the politicization of the institutions themselves.
When law enforcement is used as a tool for political suppression rather than the impartial guardian of public order, its efficacy in preventing street crime evaporates. Intelligence agencies, which are hyper-vigilant when it comes to monitoring the political opposition, appear remarkably short-sighted when it comes to the movements of violent gangs and syndicates. This is a clear indicator that the priorities of the state have been inverted.
The people of Bangladesh voted for this government with a singular, desperate mandate: the promise of a stable, secure, and predictable life. They sought an end to the culture of fear, insecurity, and all kinds of violence. Instead, they have been met with a deepening sense of insecurity. The government’s failure to maintain law and order is not just a policy failure; it is a breach of the fundamental democratic trust.
There is a dangerous misconception that popularity can be sustained through development projects and infrastructure while the social fabric dissolves into crime and impunity. This is a fallacy. No amount of concrete and steel can anchor a government that cannot ensure that a mother can travel to a hospital without being murdered, or that a citizen can walk home without the threat of a bullet. If the state cannot provide the most basic level of security, its legitimacy is structurally compromised.
The time for sanitized briefings and hollow assurances has passed. We are witnessing the normalization of horror. If the Ministry of Home Affairs continues to adopt a posture of denial, the situation will spiral beyond the reach of conventional policing. To reverse this tide, the state must undergo a radical recalibration:
De-politicize Law Enforcement: The police must be insulated from the whims of local political lords. The current trend where criminal elements are often patronized by political actors must be severed. Accountability for crime cannot be contingent on one’s political affiliation.
Restore the Deterrent Effect: The justice system must be expedited. While the swift verdict in the Ramisa case was necessary, it must be the standard, not the exception. The cycle of arrest and release or the slow grinding gears of a compromised judicial process only emboldens the perpetrators.
Active Policing, Not Reactive Reporting: The prevalence of street crime in highly visible, central urban areas suggests that the current patrolling strategy is either non-existent or fundamentally flawed. We need a visible, aggressive, and tech-integrated presence that prioritizes the safety of the civilian over the optics of the political elite.
Institutional Integrity: The Ministry of Home Affairs must be held accountable for its metrics. If crime is rising, the leadership must be changed. There must be consequences for failure.
A government that cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens in the streets is a government that has lost its primary purpose. The recurring headlines of rape, murder, and daylight robbery are not just reports; they are screams for help from a citizenry that feels abandoned by those they empowered to protect them.
The social contract is not a suggestion; it is the bedrock of civilization. If the government fails to uphold its end of the bargain—if it allows our society to become an abode of criminals—it will inevitably forfeit the mandate it was given. The choice is clear: either the state reclaims the streets from the underworld, or the underworld will continue to define the reality of this nation. The time for excuses has ended; the time for iron-fisted, impartial, and uncompromising law enforcement has begun. Anything less is a betrayal of the people.
Emran Emon is an eminent journalist,
columnist and a global affairs
analyst. He can be reached at [email protected]
