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EYE ON INDIA DECEMBER 26, 2025 | The Indian Eye 8

Bangladesh in Free Fall:

Violence, Vigilantism and Fear

Under an Unelected Regime

Attacks on leading newspapers, the assassination of a political figure and mobs on the streets
underline how law and order is fraying in Bangladesh as the interim government struggles to assert

authority ahead of elections.

OUR BUREAU weaponised into nationalist and an-
ti-establishment rage.
Dhaka / New Delhi
For journalists, the message is
haka’s streets have once again stark. If Prothom Alo and The Dai-
become theatres of violence, ly Star — institutions with interna-
Dfear and political rage, rein- tional visibility — can be attacked
forcing the sense that Bangladesh is with impunity, smaller outlets and
drifting deeper into anarchy under independent reporters stand even
an unelected interim administration. more exposed. The assault marks a
The midnight attacks on the offices of dangerous escalation from intimi-
Prothom Alo and The Daily Star — dation to outright violence, pushing
two of the country’s most influential Bangladesh closer to a climate where
newspapers — are not isolated acts dissent is policed not by the state, but
of vandalism. They are symbols of a by mobs.
state losing its monopoly over force, The interim government’s dilem-
its grip on public order, and its capac- ma is structural. Without the backing
ity to protect even the most visible in- A large number of people, under the banner of “July Oyikko” (July Unity), hold a protest march of the ballot box, it relies heavily on
stitutions of civil society. moral authority and elite consensus.
The immediate trigger was the to the Indian High Commission, in Dhaka on Wednesday (ANI Video Grab) But in a polarised and radicalised
death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokes- environment, moral appeals are no
person of Inqilab Mancha and a What makes the episode more The assassination of Hadi itself substitute for firm control of law en-
prominent face of the July Uprising, disturbing is the broader political exposes the collapse of basic secu- forcement. Each episode of delayed
who succumbed to gunshot wounds context. Bangladesh is currently gov- rity. A man being considered a par- response or visible paralysis embold-
in a Singapore hospital. His killing, erned by an interim administration liamentary candidate was shot in the ens street power, reinforcing the idea
carried out in broad daylight while led by Nobel laureate Muhammad head by a motorcycle-borne assailant that force, not institutions, now sets
he was campaigning in Dhaka, has Yunus, installed after the ouster of while travelling in a rickshaw — a the terms of politics.
become a rallying point for mobs, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fol- method chillingly familiar in South The violence also casts a long
agitators and political factions, un- lowing the tumultuous July 2024 up- Asian political violence. Despite shadow over the promised 2026 elec-
leashing a wave of unrest that the rising. While the interim government high-profile medical intervention tions. An electoral process cannot
authorities appear unable — or un- is tasked with steering the country and international attention, the kill- be credible if candidates are gunned
willing — to contain. toward elections scheduled for Feb- ing has reinforced a growing percep- down, newsrooms are burned, and
The scenes in Karwanbazar were ruary 2026, it lacks an electoral man- tion that political participation in mobs dictate public space. Political
chilling. Crowds armed with sticks date — a fact that increasingly weak- Bangladesh now carries lethal risks. competition thrives on trust — trust
vandalised newsrooms, torched ens its moral and political authority Instead of calming tempers, that disagreements will be settled
parts of the Daily Star building and in moments of crisis. Hadi’s death has radicalised dis- through votes, not bullets or fire-
trapped journalists inside as smoke Yunus has sought to project course. Protesters have targeted me- bombs. That trust is visibly eroding.
filled the floors. Fire engines were calm and resolve. He announced a dia houses accused of bias, staged Bangladesh’s crisis today is not
blocked by mobs. Reporters fled to national day of mourning for Hadi, demonstrations outside diplomatic only about who governs, but how au-
rooftops, sending desperate messag- promised state support for the slain missions, including the Indian As- thority is exercised. An unelected ad-
es pleading for help. It took hours, leader’s family, and vowed that per- sistant High Commission in Chatto- ministration may be a temporary ne-
and ultimately the deployment of the petrators would face the harshest gram, and raised incendiary slogans cessity after upheaval, but prolonged
Army, to escort journalists to safe- punishment. His televised appeals against India, the Awami League uncertainty breeds lawlessness. As
ty. That such an assault on the press for patience, restraint and faith in law and perceived “foreign influence”. violence spills from political assassi-
could unfold for hours in the heart of enforcement reflect an attempt to re- Inqilab Mancha’s own statements nations to attacks on the press and
the capital raises fundamental ques- claim the language of rule of law. But framing Hadi as a martyr in a strug- foreign missions, the interim govern-
tions about who controls the streets on the ground, those appeals appear gle against “Indian hegemony” un- ment faces a narrowing window to
of Dhaka tonight. to be falling flat. derline how quickly grief is being restore order.

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