Mob culture in the country originated from the Bangladesh Secretariat – the centre of government administration – and, if not brought under control, could seriously affect the upcoming parliamentary elections, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman warned on Monday.
He made the remarks at a press conference held at TIB’s Dhanmondi office during the release of a research report titled “One and a Half Years After the Fall of Authoritarianism: Expectations and Achievements.”
Responding to a question on whether mob influence could spill over into the election process, Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, “The issue of mobs in Bangladesh began from within the government itself. The Secretariat is the heart of state administration, yet the mob originated there. The government has empowered the mob, weakening its moral foundation. If this is not controlled, it will inevitably affect the elections.”
He also criticised political parties and the bureaucracy for failing to learn lessons from the July Uprising. “Both political parties and the bureaucracy are focused on protecting their own interests. From the first day of the Consensus Commission to the last, the dominant narrative was that the government’s hands and feet should not be tied. Whenever accountability, checks and balances or people’s oversight were proposed, objections followed,” he said.
According to the TIB research, the organisation analysed developments related to justice, reforms, elections, governance, corruption and the role of stakeholders between August 5, 2024 and January 31, 2026.
The report reviewed 18 key areas, including crimes against humanity during the July Movement, initiatives for July fighters and progress on state reforms.
The report revealed that between August 2024 and December 2025, at least 158 political activists were killed and 7,082 injured in 600 incidents of political violence across the country. Of these incidents, 91.7 per cent involved the BNP, while the Awami League was linked to 20.7 per cent, Jamaat-e-Islami to 7.7 per cent and the National Citizens Party (NCP) to 1.2 per cent.
TIB further noted that following the fall of the government, attempts were made to seize control of institutions and economic activities previously under Awami League influence.
These included extortion at transport terminals, stone looting from quarries and rivers in Sylhet, and control over leases of bridges, markets, ghats, sand and water bodies.
In many cases, political parties failed to exercise effective internal discipline or take action against their activists, the report said.
The research also highlighted that at least 15 political leaders and activists were killed within 36 days of the announcement of the schedule for the 13th national parliamentary elections.
Warning of heightened election-related risks, TIB said violence could escalate due to large quantities of looted firearms remaining unrecovered and the issuance of new weapon licences to political figures.
The report pointed out that police constitute only 9-10 per cent of the total election manpower, creating a significant security gap.
Additionally, more than 50 attacks on minority communities were reported in 2025, raising serious concerns about the electoral environment. The threat posed by deepfakes and misinformation was also identified as a major challenge ahead of the polls.