A recent human rights report reveals that nearly 300 people have been killed in political violence in Bangladesh over the past year, illustrating the ongoing security challenges since the student-led protests that toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina .
According to a report released by the Dhaka-based human rights organization Odhikar, at least 281 people were killed in political violence from August 2024 to September 2025 . This period began when Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule ended and she fled to India after widespread protests . The report detailed that on top of the political fatalities, another 40 people were victims of extrajudicial killings after being suspected of crimes, and a further 153 were lynched .
Odhikar director ASM Nasiruddin Elan acknowledged that adherence to human rights has improved in some areas since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government, noting that the frequent extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances witnessed during her era have subsided . However, he cautioned that serious problems persist, including deaths in custody, bribery, and the harassment of victims . Elan also stated that "innocent people fall prey to atrocities" for their alleged involvement with the now-banned Awami League, Hasina's political party . The interim government has initiated some accountability efforts, such as signing the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and setting up an inquiry commission to investigate past abuses .
The report identified inefficient policing as a key factor behind the relatively frequent mob attacks . Odhikar stated that police forces, after having "been used to achieve party interests and were given impunity" under the previous government, "largely became dysfunctional and lost their morale" after Hasina fell . This has contributed to a deteriorating law-and-order situation marked by increasing mob violence . The interim government has also faced challenges with retaliatory violence targeting supporters of the former government . This has had a communal dimension, with the Hindu community experiencing several attacks, often based on a perceived affiliation with the previous government .
The current interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, was formed after the protests forced Sheikh Hasina from power . The initial wave of protests in July-August 2024 was triggered by the reinstatement of a civil service quota system but escalated into a nationwide movement against Hasina's long-standing government following a violent crackdown by security forces . A UN report into that period found reasonable grounds to believe that officials of the former government and its security apparatus committed serious and systematic human rights violations, with as many as 1,400 people killed in just 46 days . The interim government is tasked with leading the country until elections, foreseen for the first half of 2026 .