Key Points

Bangladesh has experienced a dramatic breakdown of judicial authority since Sheikh Hasina's ouster in August 2024. Mob violence has claimed 174 lives with courts becoming unsafe spaces for both judges and accused persons. The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has been accused of granting selective justice and indemnity to political allies. The constitutional framework faces threats from a controversial "July Charter" that risks the state's fundamental identity.

Key Points: Bangladesh Mob Justice Under Yunus Replaces Courts After Hasina Ouster

  • 174 people killed in mob violence from August 2024 to May 2025
  • Judicial complexes stormed by mobs beating accused persons in custody
  • Lawyers aligned with previous regime targeted with chambers torched and arrests
  • Yunus government granted indemnity for crimes during July protests
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Mob justice replaces courts in Bangladesh under Yunus government: Report

Report reveals 174 killed in mob violence since Sheikh Hasina's removal, with judicial collapse and selective justice under Muhammad Yunus interim government.

"Justice did not merely delay — it deserted. This breakdown of judicial authority naturally engulfed the legal profession. - Northeast News Report"

Dhaka, Aug 22

Lynching has supplanted trial and vengeance masquerades as justice in Bangladesh which has been gripped with violence since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, a report cited on Thursday.

Highlighting data from several rights groups, the report mentioned that 174 people have been killed in mob violence between August 2024 and May 2025, with victims ranging from political workers to small vendors.

“At Dhaka University, student Tofajjal was killed; at Jahangirnagar, Masud met a similar fate. Shohagh was crushed under a rock as his killers danced on his chest in broad daylight. Court premises themselves were not spared, as mobs stormed judicial complexes, beating accused persons in custody. Judges, fearing for their safety, hesitated to sit. The robe, once a symbol of dignity, became a garment of risk,” the 'Northeast News' report mentioned.

“Justice did not merely delay — it deserted. This breakdown of judicial authority naturally engulfed the legal profession. Lawyers aligned with the fallen regime were targetted: chambers torched, bar associations fractured, over 150 practitioners jailed, and dozens remanded. Some fled abroad; others melted into anonymity. A new group styling itself as ‘anti-fascist lawyers’ declared themselves guardians of the revolution, but professional solidarity collapsed," it added.

The report asserted that under the Yunus regime, opposition activists languished week after week in jail, while those aligned with the new order, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and students associated with the National Citizen Party, secured bail with ease.

In a horrific move, it stated, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, even granted them indemnity for the crimes committed during last year’s July protests. Moreover, the report stated that Yunus himself was controversially acquitted of labourer exploitation charges soon after taking office as Chief Advisor, which the critics aptly termed “selective justice.”

“The irony was cruel: those who once defended war criminals were now appointed prosecutors, while the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister was arraigned without counsel of her choice, fairness, or due process,” the report stated.

According to the report, the Constitution of Bangladesh came under threat after a half-baked document styled the ‘July Charter’ or ‘Declaration’ was brandished as an alternative constitution—a misleading and conceptually flawed manifesto riddled with romantic promises.

“The so-called ‘July Revolution’ was sold as emancipation, but many came to see it as misconceived, fraudulent in its promises, and reckless in its haste. To discard a Constitution born of a Liberation War is no mere academic folly; it imperils the very identity of the state,” the report noted.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
The breakdown of judicial system is terrifying. When courts stop functioning and lawyers are targeted, it creates a dangerous vacuum. This situation reminds us how precious our democratic institutions are in India.
M
Michael C
Selective justice is the worst kind of injustice. When those in power get acquitted while opponents languish in jail, it destroys public trust in the entire system. Bangladesh needs to restore proper judicial processes.
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Ananya R
As a law student, this report is deeply concerning. The independence of judiciary is fundamental to any democracy. When judges fear for their safety and lawyers are persecuted, the very foundation of justice crumbles.
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Vikram M
The situation sounds alarmingly similar to what we've seen in some parts of India during communal tensions. Mob mentality is dangerous anywhere. Hope Bangladesh finds stability soon - our neighbors' peace matters to regional stability.
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Sarah B
While the report highlights serious issues, I wonder about the source's credibility. Northeast News has been criticized for having political biases. We should be cautious about accepting such reports without multiple verifications.
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Karthik V
The part about replacing the constitution is particularly worrying. A constitution isn't just a document - it's the soul of a nation. Tampering with it for political gains sets a dangerous precedent for any democracy.

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