One hundred days after the new government took office promising stability and reform, Bangladesh is witnessing a renewed surge in violent crime, rape, murder, extortion and public insecurity -- raising growing questions about whether the administration has been able to restore law and order despite aggressive policing campaigns and repeated crackdowns.
From child rape and brutal killings to attacks on police, journalists and ordinary citizens, a series of shocking crimes across the country in recent weeks has deepened public fear and intensified criticism over what analysts describe as a continuing “culture of impunity” after the political transition.
Although the government that came to power following the February 12 election has claimed progress in multiple sectors during its first 100 days, security and public confidence remain among its biggest challenges.
The latest incidents have horrified the country.
While public outrage was still raging over the rape and murder of eight-year-old child, another child rape incident in Chittagong triggered fresh condemnation.
In Sylhet, a member of the Rapid Action Battalion was stabbed to death during an anti-drug operation, while another case involving the alleged throat-slitting murder of a one-and-a-half-year-old girl by her own mother shocked the public further.
Attacks on journalists and law enforcement officers have also increased.
A reporter and cameraman of Desh TV were seriously injured in an attack allegedly carried out by drug dealers in Savar while collecting news.
Police personnel were also attacked during eviction operations in Mirpur’s Kalshi area in Dhaka.
According to police headquarters data, Bangladesh recorded 1,142 murders between January and April this year alone.
During the same four-month period, authorities documented 5,958 cases of violence against women and children, 184 robberies, 347 kidnappings and 4,099 theft cases nationwide.
Another 213 police members were attacked while performing official duties.
The broader trend also shows a sharp rise in killings over recent years.
Police data shows 3,786 murder cases were filed nationwide in 2025, compared with 3,442 in 2024 and 3,023 in 2023.
Human rights groups say at least 522 children were murdered over the past 16 months, with analysts warning that weak justice systems, delayed trials, widespread drug abuse and deteriorating social conditions are contributing to increasingly brutal crimes.
Residents say public panic remains especially high in areas such as Mohammadpur, where extortion, robbery and gang violence continue despite repeated police operations.
“Murder, rape, extortion, drugs, cybercrime, juvenile gangs and online gambling will be suppressed with a strict hand,” said Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, additional IGP and police commissioner.
He said police are currently under heavy operational pressure ahead of Eid-ul-Azha but plan wider social and community-based anti-crime drives after the holidays.
Authorities have also launched a 30-day operation targeting top criminals and organized gangs, particularly several notorious figures released on bail after the August 5 political transition.
But many citizens remain unconvinced.
Sawardi Hasan Rajib, a resident of Mohammadpur, said although the political situation had stabilized somewhat after the new government assumed office, violent crime had not declined.
“The pattern of crime has changed, but panic has not disappeared,” he said, warning that failure to improve law and order could seriously damage the government’s credibility.
The father of murdered child Ramisa also expressed deep frustration with the justice system.
“I don’t want justice because you cannot judge,” Abdul Hannan Mollah said. “You have no record of judging.”
Criminologists and psychiatrists say the violence reflects deeper social deterioration beyond policing failures alone.
Helal Uddin Ahmed of Faridpur Medical College said violence against women and children is rooted in social degradation, abusive culture and lack of moral education.
Meanwhile, criminologist Touhidul Haque of University of Dhaka warned that growing family unrest, social distrust and delayed justice are accelerating violent crime nationwide.
Analysts say the government now faces mounting pressure to prove that its promises of restoring order can translate into visible security on the streets, not just statistics and operations.
