21 killed in mob violence in April: MSF

Published : Thursday, 30 April, 2026 at 6:44 PM Count : 6

Rights body Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF) today said incidents of mob violence rose in April, surpassing the figures recorded in the previous month.

At least 21 people were killed and 49 others were critically injured in mob beatings across the country in April, while 19 people were killed and 31 were injured in similar incidents in the previous month, MSF said in its monthly monitoring report.

In February, 18 people were killed and 33 others were injured, while at least 21 people were killed in mob beatings in January, up from 10 deaths recorded in December 2025, according to MSF.

The killings in mob attacks are continuing despite Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed saying on several occasions that mob culture would not be tolerated, the report said.

On April 11, 52-year-old pir Abdur Rahman alias Shamim al-Jahangir was beaten and hacked to death by a mob of 300 to 400 people at his darbar (shrine) in Philipnagar in Kushtia’s Daulatpur upazila, triggering a huge outcry.

The persistent killings in mob violence were also discussed in parliament recently.

On April 20, Brahmanbaria-2 MP Rumeen Farhana told parliament that mob attacks continue despite repeated assurances from the home minister that such incidents will not be allowed in the country.

MSF, in its April report, said that as mob violence has not decreased, the issue of public sense of security has become a matter of serious concern.

MSF statistics show that among the victims killed in mob beatings in April, three were killed over allegations of murder, seven over theft allegations, seven following altercations, two over robbery allegations, one over allegations of insulting remarks, and one over a land dispute.

At least 30 of the injured victims were handed over to the police, it added.

The rights body said that although there are signs of improvement in some areas of the human rights situation from March to April, deterioration or new risks are clearly noticeable in several other sectors, including violence against women and children and attacks on journalists.

MSF findings show that at least 312 incidents of violence against women and children were recorded in April, which is 23 more than the previous month. During the month, 54 rape incidents, 14 gang rape incidents, and one case of rape and murder were reported. Among the victims, six were girls and women with disabilities.

Among the 54 rape victims, 18 were children and 14 were adolescent girls. Furthermore, in April, a total of 89 children, adolescent girls, and women were victims of murder, while the number was 73 in March.

MSF said that killings and injuries stemming from political violence decreased in April compared to March. In April, three people were killed and 303 were injured, while 14 people were killed and 390 were injured in March.

According to MSF, a total of six people died in jail custody in April. In the previous month, the number was 11.

FP/MI