Rising crime puts govt under microscope
The country’s law-and-order situation is facing renewed scrutiny as murders, armed attacks, robberies, extortion and politically linked violence continue to generate public concern, while the government insists that law enforcement agencies are increasingly bringing offenders to justice.
The latest confrontation came inside Parliament on Thursday, when the opening day of the third session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad descended into disorder over the Home Minister’s response to questions about the current law and order situation.
During the question-and-answer session, Jamaat-e-Islami MP Shafiqul Islam Masud raised concerns over daytime robberies, attacks on MPs and the alleged failure to arrest suspects in attacks on opposition activists.
He also alleged that opposition leaders and workers were being arrested in what they described as false cases.
In response, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said, “Speaking at Shahbagh Square and speaking in Parliament are not the same thing.”
The remark immediately triggered protests from opposition MPs, many of whom stood up and began shouting in objection.
The minister later withdrew the disputed remarks, but the uproar continued as opposition lawmakers demanded an apology and that the comments be expunged from the parliamentary record.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad eventually intervened. Expressing concern about the conduct of lawmakers, he warned that repeatedly preventing one another from speaking was not a good sign for Parliament and said he was worried about its future.
The parliamentary confrontation has added a political dimension to an already serious debate over public security.
The numbers behind the concern
According to Police Headquarters data, 915 murder cases were recorded nationwide in March, April and May 2026, equivalent to an average of more than 10 cases a day.
The monthly figures were 317 in March, 288 in April and 310 in May.
The figure, however, needs context. The 915 cases do not mean that exactly 915 people were killed in those three months, nor does it establish that every killing was politically motivated.
A police “murder case” is a case registered by law enforcement, and the circumstances and eventual findings can differ from the initial allegation.
The same Police Headquarters data show 993 murder cases were registered during March-May 2025, although 226 of those were carry-over cases from earlier incidents.
On a comparable basis, the 2026 figure therefore does not support the simplistic claim that murders have necessarily increased year-on-year by the full difference between 915 and 993.
Incidents feeding public anxiety
The concerns are not limited to statistics.
On August 15, a group of 10 to 12 attackers allegedly stormed a family home in Gazipur’s Kaliganj.
A woman was hacked to death while her husband and teenage daughter were injured.
Police said the motive was under investigation and no arrests had been made at the time of the report.
In Patuakhali, a family was reportedly held hostage during a robbery on August 14. Police said one man was shot, while the family reported that the attackers fled with gold, cash and a mobile phone after allegedly attempting to sexually assault a family member.
Extortion allegations have also involved firearms. In Chattogram, gunmen allegedly fired at the gate of an 11-storey building after an alleged demand for Tk50 lakh was not met, according to police.
There have also been recent allegations of sexual violence. Police in Moulvibazar arrested two men after a case was filed alleging that a 19-year-old woman had been abducted and raped.
In Jashore, police arrested a 22-year-old man over the alleged rape of a nine-year-old girl.
These remain allegations subject to investigation and judicial proceedings, rather than established convictions.
Khulna has seen a particularly worrying cluster of violence. At least six people were reported killed in Khulna and surrounding areas during the first 20 days of August, with investigators suspecting links in several cases to drug trafficking and territorial disputes among criminal groups.
Political violence has increasingly become part of the law-and-order debate.
On August 15, the motorcade of Sirajganj-3 MP Aynul Haque came under attack in Raiganj.
The MP escaped unharmed, but his vehicle was damaged. Police subsequently investigated the incident and a case was filed against 55 people, with one named accused arrested. Allegations about the political identity of the attackers were disputed.
Earlier this month, Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan and Dhaka-18 MP SM Jahangir Hossain were allegedly attacked while visiting an area in Uttarkhan following an earlier assault on sanitation workers.
Three people were subsequently arrested, according to reports.
These incidents complicate any argument that insecurity is confined to ordinary citizens.
When elected representatives themselves report being attacked or threatened, questions inevitably arise about the ability of the state to guarantee security beyond government buildings and official programmes.
Government rejects the picture of collapse
The Home Ministry has rejected the suggestion that the country is sliding into unchecked lawlessness.
On Wednesday, Salahuddin Ahmed said almost all accused in criminal cases filed during the previous six months had been arrested within a reasonable period.
He specifically cited recent murder investigations as evidence of police responsiveness.
On Thursday, he told Parliament that an improvement in law and order was now visible and claimed that alleged perpetrators were generally being brought under the law within 24 to 48 hours of serious crimes.
The government has also said it is strengthening police capacity to tackle drugs, extortion, juvenile crime and organised criminal activity, including through technology, body-worn cameras, additional recruitment and specialised operations.
A new layer of political oversight
Against this backdrop, the government has assigned 30 ministers, state ministers and parliamentary whips responsibility for supervising government activities across all 64 districts.
Under the arrangement announced by the Cabinet Division, the officials will oversee law and order, drug control, corruption prevention, good governance, transparency, accountability and development activities in their assigned districts.
They will also advise local government officials on combating smuggling, drug trafficking and longstanding criminal activity.
