Incidents of mob violence are on the rise, with at least 32 people killed in the first six months of this year, compared to 24 in the same period last year.
This increase was highlighted in the quarterly report, released by the human rights group Ain O Salish Kendra on Thursday.
Of those killed this year, 16 were in Dhaka, seven in Rajshahi, three in Chattogram, two each in Khulna and Mymensingh and one each in Barishal and Sylhet divisions.
Rights activists attribute the rise in lynching to the absence of the rule of law, leading to repeated incidents in various parts of the country.
They said that during their distraction by repeated crimes or anything, public found lynching a solution.
Senior lawyer and ASK chairperson ZI Khan Panna pointed to frustration and lack of accountability over the years as factors contributing to these brutalities.
He emphasised that justice must be ensured by establishing the rule of law to reduce or eliminate such incidents.
According to ASK, 51 deaths from mob violence were reported between January and December 2023, compared to 36 deaths in 2022 and 28 in 2021.
Rights activists noted that mob lynching was rising due to a weak criminal justice system, impunity for law enforcement agencies, and lack of public confidence in relevant institutions, leading to an increased tendency for individuals to take the law into their own hands.
In a recent incident on April 19, two siblings were lynched, and five others were injured in the village of Panjapalli under Madhukhali upazila in Faridpur. Local people, suspecting the victims had torched a makeshift Hindu temple, beat them. The incident began at about 7:30pm on April 18 and continued until 1:00am.
The deceased Ashraf and Arshad were day labourers, who were declared dead upon arrival at a hospital in the district town.
Three cases were filed regarding police assault, murder, and the torching of Hindu temple, according to Imrul Hasan, assistant superintendent of police for Madhukhali circle.
Nine people were arrested in connection with the murder case, the ASP said.
Another statistic from the rights organisation Odhikar showed that 1,150 incidents of mob lynching occurred between 2009 and 2019.
The ASK quarterly report also revealed that 631 children were subjected to various kinds of violence between January and June this year. Additionally, 41 people were killed, and 3,736 others injured in political violence, 46 killed in jail custody and 145 journalists were harassed.
At least 27 incidents of violence against religious minorities were reported during this period.
Furthermore, 10 Bangladeshis were killed in border areas by the Indian Border Security Force, according to the ASK quarterly report based on media reports.