The July-August Uprising we witnessed in Bangladesh in 2024, was a cataclysmic event upturned countless lives, apart from the estimated 1400 killed, and many thousands injured, of whom many lost limbs. The casualties overwhelmingly came from a young age group - college-going or graduate students, also high school students, and their peers from the madrasah system, although many were not students.

To the extent that it was a revolution, resembling many post-revolutionary or post-uprising states, the legacy of the disorderly transition represented by the then-prime minister fleeing the country was bound to be very messy. For years, members of the Awami League had warned of the disaster that awaited them, if they ever lost power - even in an election. Losing it in the way that they did, precipitating an unprecedented collapse of the state, undoubtedly made it far worse. In a sense, they have been wiped out of the system, and now look and wait for ways to mount a return to the political arena itself.

This swift, almost overnight shift, with those who were once oppressed seemingly enjoying a free pass now on many issues, has led to many acts of revenge or retribution. After three days without any government, an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus was sworn in on August 8th, 2024. Although it took office with great, overarching promises of reform, in the last seven months, Bangladeshis have come to realise the fundamental weaknesses of a non-political government, or at least a government lacking politicians when it comes to getting things done.

Lacking legislative powers or the backup of a mandate through elections also hinders a government's authoritative powers. The civil bureaucracy remains largely moribund, as we witness a continuing purge of officers deemed to have acted as enablers for the AL's authoritarian rule. The police, who left their stations on August 5 and remained absent for almost a week, are still nowhere near standing on their own two feet again. The Army, despite enjoying full magistracy powers, would clearly prefer to be back in the barracks.

Establishing security is a prerequisite for any government, but that was made more difficult by the retreat of the country's 200,000-strong police force, which was deeply politicized under the Hasina regime.

"Police has also lost its confidence to do policing - that's the reason they could not even come out of barracks, because they thought the people would bash them to death," said ANM Muniruzzaman, a retired general in the Bangladesh Army and the president of the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies, in an interview with the New York Times. "And the people have lost the trust."

All of this has opened the door to unsavoury characters trying their luck at almost anything, and for citizens, even the usually law-abiding ones, feeling the need to take the law into their own hands. Cue the advent of the mob.

Here comes the Mob

At least 119 people have been killed and 74 injured in 114 mob lynching incidents over the last seven months since the interim government took office, according to a statement from the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS).

The statement released this week, signed by HRSS Executive Director Ijazul Islam, highlights that the rise in mob violence has been linked to suspicions of theft, robbery, mugging, child kidnapping, and offenses against religious sentiments.

The human rights society notes that while cases are filed, few are thoroughly investigated, and perpetrators often go unpunished, contributing to the increase in mob lynching incidents.

In January and February, 30 mob lynching incidents occurred across the country, resulting in 19 deaths and 20 injuries.

Ijazul Islam pointed out that while mob lynching has been a long-standing issue in Bangladesh, it has intensified since the political changes in August last year, with more groups taking part in these attacks.

HRSS also reported that last year saw the highest number of mob killings in a decade, with 201 incidents resulting in 179 deaths and 88 injuries. Similar spikes in mob violence occurred in 2015 and 2016, with 232 deaths reported.

Recent cases include the deaths of two people in Chattogram on March 3, following a "false" loudspeaker announcement from a mosque about robbers in the area, and the ransacking of a house in Gulshan, Dhaka, by a mob on March 5, under the guise of a "search operation." What was more appalling through all this was the helpless role of the law enforcement agencies. Even the Army, on the occasions when it was present, such as the destruction of the Bangabandhu Museum in Dhanmandi Road 32, or the ransacking of the residence in the heart of Gulshan on Tuesday, chose to stand aside, and let the mob do its thing. It gave the unmistakable impression of a meek and unexpected surrender to the mob's will.

Other incidents were reported in Shariatpur, Uttara, and multiple districts including Bogura, Madaripur, and Khulna.

HRSS cited six reasons behind the rise in mob violence: political grievances, ineffective law enforcement, increasing crime, lack of legal consequences, vested interests inciting unrest, and low public awareness of the dangers and legal implications of mob justice.

In August and September alone, 53 incidents were reported, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least 44 people. The month of September 2024 witnessed 33 mob attacks, leading to 24 deaths and 22 serious injuries.

Advocate Shahanur Islam, founder and president of Justice Makers Bangladesh in France, or JMBF, said, "The rising tide of mob justice in Bangladesh is a direct consequence of a failing system. No society can claim to be just or humane if it allows mob violence to replace due process and the rule of law. We call on the interim government and law enforcement agencies to take immediate action to prevent further bloodshed."

Robert Simon, a prominent French human rights activist and Chief Adviser to JMBF, said, "This outbreak of lawlessness is a blatant violation of fundamental human rights and justice principles. Mob lynchings, driven by frustration and a breakdown of law and order, pose a serious threat to democracy, the rule of law, and human dignity."

According to a database of the Human Rights Support Society, 17 incidents of mob beatings took place in February, resulting in 10 deaths.

Ain o Salish Kendra, another rights watchdog, also recorded a spike in mob beatings in 2024, with 96 occurring between August and December. The number of such deaths was 51 in 2023.

The home ministry in a statement yesterday said the government was resolute in ensuring that all individuals involved in mob violence are brought to justice.

Noted rights activist Nur Khan Liton said, "When there is unrest in a society and the rule of law is weak, people take law into their own hands. Recently, we have seen these incidents rise due to instability, slow police response, and the lack of strict measures."

The interim government must pick up the pieces of a state in near-total collapse, while also preparing for an election that the organized political parties will soon be demanding.

Home Adviser under intense pressure

Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Thursday said the government is taking swift action against incidents of mob justice across the country.

The adviser was replying to a reporter's question after visiting the Tourist Police Headquarters in the city's Topkhana Road on Thursday afternoon.

Regarding controlling incidents of mob attacks, the home adviser stressed the need for public awareness to curb such incidents.

The public must be made aware. If people become unruly, it creates problems. Law enforcement agencies alone cannot always control such situation, he said.

When asked about the continued prevalence of mob violence over the past six months, including attacks on foreigners and home intrusions, he admitted it saying, "I won't deny that incidents are happening. But wherever they occur, we are bringing those responsible under the law immediately," he added.

The adviser also noted that police officers themselves have come under attacks, further underscoring the importance of public awareness. "Parents and relatives must play a role in controlling their children. The media also has a big role in preventing mob justice," he said.

Regarding reports of raids on homes under the guise of operations leading to looting, he said, "No one except law enforcement agencies has the authority to conduct such operations."

On the issue of highway robberies, particularly ahead of Eid, he said measures are being taken to prevent such crimes. When asked whether high-risk zones have been identified, he pointed out that robbery incidents are relatively higher in the Dhaka-Rajshahi region and parts of Tangail. "Law enforcement agencies in those areas has been instructed accordingly, and they are now more active than before," he added.

Mahfuj speaks out

It could be said that it was only in February, following the attack on Dhanmandi-32 unleashing a wave of similar violence against AL targets nationwide, that government started taking the need to snuff out this dangerous tendency taking hold in society. Issuing a strong warning against any sort of mob violence, Mahfuj Alam, now an adviser to the interim government and the original proponent of the need to keep recreating the revolutionary moment, said the government would handle such issues with an iron hand from now on.

"If you support the mass uprising, stop engaging in mob actions. If you engage in mob actions, you will also be treated as a devil. After today's incident, no further requests will be made. It is not your job to take the law into your own hands," he wrote on his verified Facebook account.

"From now on, we will firmly confront so-called movements and mob demonstrations. Any attempt to render the state ineffective and prove it to be a failure will not be tolerated in the slightest," the post read.

"Touhidi Janata (pious public)! After a decade and a half, you have got the opportunity to practice your religion and culture in peace. Your recklessness or extremism is about to destroy that peace," Mahfuj added in his post.

You had to wonder though, if this was all too little, too late.

In the madding crowd

Since August 5 of last year, we have seen mobs forming for a variety of different reasons in different settings, and committing various crimes in Bangladesh. It's not always a public lynching. We have seen mobs forming to vandalise houses and commercial establishments, to raid offices, even to harass women. One of the groups involved in multiple such incidents is the so-called 'Tauheedi Janata', that Mahfuj Alom, the adviser, also called upon to refrain from mob justice. The term is a very broad one, covering more or less every practising Muslim, yet distinctive perhaps, in its tendency to also operate in large groups, in the interests of imposing their interpretation of Islam on the rest of society.

In criminal psychology, "mob mentality" refers to the phenomenon where individuals, within a group, lose their sense of personal responsibility and act in ways they wouldn't as individuals, often leading to impulsive, irrational, and potentially destructive behaviors. This group consists of aggressive and panicked individuals who are irrational in their thinking. Usually, this kind of mentality creates an atmosphere of hysteria and herd behaviour.

Heightened emotionality is a key characteristic of mob behaviour due to which the individuals tend to become unreasonable, unforgiving and unstable. For example, an aggressive mob may engage in activities such as damaging public property, breaking down buses and trains, and burning things that they would never do when alone.

Mob lynching is a punishable offence and a clear violation of human rights, our advisers have insisted, urging everyone to refrain from taking law into their own hands. Rights groups say the law enforcement agencies will have to play an effective role to prevent such incidents. The interim government needs to play a responsible role to ensure people's security and bringing people involved in activities like mob lynching to book. But it will need some help from the public, as the home adviser said.

Who is behind them?

Perhaps as an answer to the home affairs adviser's prayers, journalist Qadaruddin Shishir, one of the first specialist fact-checkers in Bangladesh, presented some stellar work on his social media, that could certainly prove very helpful for the law enforcement agencies.

It followed a mob of the TJ forming and descending on Shahbagh police station to forcibly free a youth who had been picked up for aggressive behaviour while moral policing a woman on the street for the manner in which she was dressed. The TJ considered him a hero for standing up for moral values, and made it a point to try and free him. He was forcibly taken out of Shahbagh police station and taken out in a procession, while being feted with garlands, the Holy Quran placed in his hands with a turban on his head, all courtesy of the TJ.

By analysing the photos of the incident alongside several other incidents in the recent past, Shishir was able to make some very interesting discoveries. It led him to conclude that rather than random spontaneous incidents arising from the immediate anger of 'religious general public' (TJ), some of them may be 'coordinated incidents'.

"I have analyzed some pictures/footage of 3 recent incidents," Shishir wrote. "The three incidents are the two-day protest and cow slaughter program in front of the Prothom Alo newspaper office in the last week of November, closing the gate of the Daily Star newspaper building and performing Friday prayers as a protest against the newspaper, and the release of a young man who was detained at Shahbagh police station last night."

He found that in these three incidents, at least three individuals who gathered along with hundreds of others, and led from the front on each occasion, can be found "common everywhere".

Using OSINT tools, he was then able to identify them. One is Abu Sayeed Sher Mohammad Khan, whose Facebook profile is Sher Muhammad.

Sher Mohammad was arrested by RAB in November 2022 as a member of Jamaatul Ansar fil Hindal Sharqia. He is the director of an organisation called Online Shariah Graduation Institute. After August 5, he was seen campaigning in support of Al-Qaeda's black flag. In 2015, a case was filed against him in Hathazari under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

He has been seen in multiple videos leading protests in front of Prothom Alo and the Daily Star. One of his peers even made a video statement declaring him the 'Amir' of the incident in Shahbagh station.

The second person is Ataur Rahman Bikrampuri. He led the protest in front of Prothom Alo, and when some of his fellow protesters were taken away and put in jail, he led the effort that very day to forcibly free him from the police station. He had arrived from Jashore this week specifically with the purpose of freeing the harasser from Shahbagh station.

Bikrampuri is known for his sermons, online speeches and extremely violent speeches on Facebook. Recently, in one of his Facebook posts, he called the current Khatib of Baitul Mukarram, Maulana Abdul Malek, a hypocrite and a 'dog of the Taghut'. He also runs a Facebook page called 'Anti-Shatim Movement', where in a post on February 22, he called for killing anyone identified as a 'Shatim-e-Rasul'.

He regularly posts and makes statements calling Muslims who practice democracy 'infidels'. He also incites to kill atheists. He considers ISIS to be Khawarij, but does campaign for Al-Qaeda and the Taliban as pro-rights groups.

Bikrampuri was arrested in 2021 as a member of Ansarullah Bangla Team. He was also a central coordinator of the Anto-discriminatory Students Movement, working for the release of militants in Ataur prison. After August 5, he gathered with his team to free militants from Kashimpur prison and interrogated officials.

The third person, who took a bit longer to identify, is Mohammad Tamim (according to his Facebook ID). He is a student of the Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College, as confirmed by a video from the college found online. In addition, Shishir was able to find that his residence is in Mirpur 10 area, according to a resident of the area who knows Tamim personally. He also said that Tamim was arrested for extremist activities a few years ago and later released on bail.

Tamim's Facebook ID also mentioned his memories of being in prison in 2015 in a post after August 5. However, there is no mention of what was the reason behind his arrest.

It all leads Shishir to conclude: "Although these incidents are being promoted as spontaneous incident of the 'Tawheedi Janata', it is clear that there is coordination between extremist activities and active people behind the gathering of people in these incidents."

With individuals like Shishir out there, diligently working away, we may just have a shot at preventing the worst from happening.

Additional reporting by UNB