Kolkata: Radharaman Das, Vice President and Spokesperson of ISKCON Kolkata, on Monday expressed deep grief over the recent wave of mob lynching incidents in Bangladesh that claimed the lives of at least 637 people — including 41 police officers — between August 2024 and July 2025.
Speaking to IANS, Radharaman Das said, “It is heartbreaking to witness what is happening in Bangladesh, and even more surprising that the whole world remains silent. Hindus and other minorities are being killed almost every day. Women and minor girls are being kidnapped, and when parents go to the police, their complaints are not even registered.”
He continued, “People are losing their jobs simply because of their religion. Forced conversions are rampant. Why is there no global outcry? Why is there no condemnation from international human rights bodies? It has been a year since Chinmoy Prabhu was jailed. He was granted bail but was later implicated in another false case. This is not just an attack on Hindus, even Christians and Buddhists are facing atrocities. And yet, the silence is surprising.”
The alarming rise in mob violence comes in the wake of political turmoil in Bangladesh following the August 2024 uprising that led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, who was the Prime Minister of the country at that time.
According to a report released on Saturday by the Canada-based ‘Global Center for Democratic Governance,’ mob lynchings surged more than twelve-fold in 2024–25 compared to the previous year.
“In 2023, under the Sheikh Hasina government, 51 lynching deaths were recorded. That number has now risen dramatically to 637 in just one year,” the report said.
Among the most horrifying incidents was the burning of 24 people at The Zabeer Jashore Hotel on August 4, 2024. Just weeks later, 182 people were killed in a fire at Gaji Tires in Rupganj, Narayanganj, on August 25, 2024.
The report noted that many victims remain unnamed, as media censorship has made comprehensive documentation difficult.
“Due to stringent censorship, we could not collect complete information. This list of victims is, therefore, incomplete,” the report stated.
The ‘Global Center for Democratic Governance’ further warned that the lynchings reflect a breakdown in law and order during a period of political instability.
“The fall of a longstanding regime created a power vacuum and shattered public faith in the justice system. With courts paralysed, police overstretched, and local leaders either hiding or targeted, mobs have taken justice into their own hands,” the report added.
(IANS)
