The proverb goes, “Prevention is better than cure.”
Be it cyber violence or other forms of electoral crime, it is empirical to take preventative measures in advance to minimize the damage. However, there has been a spike of violence following the announcement of the election, including a sharp rise in cybercrimes.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) disclosed a number of findings at a press conference and other human rights organizations (including Ain o Salish Kendra and MSF) have voiced concern due to an increase in incidents of political violence.
Beyond political violence, a rise in muggings has intensified public concerns over personal safety. Residents report growing anxiety while travelling through isolated areas, on public transport, and even busy commercial zones. Police data shows 144 violent incidents nationwide between December 12 and January 26, including 55 clashes, 11 cases of intimidation, six attacks on candidates, two incidents involving illegal weapons, 17 obstructions to campaign activities, eight attacks and arson targeting election offices, and 24 other incidents linked to various causes.
In the TIB report, researchers mentioned 600 incidents of political violence between August 2024 and December 2025, in which at least 158 political activists were killed. Moreover, the report revealed involvement of different political parties. At least 15 people were killed in the 36 days following the announcement of the election schedule on December 11. A murder case was filed against 731 people, naming 231 of them on the very last day of January 2026 at Jhenaigati upazila of Sherpur over the death of a local Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader in a clash. On January 28, the Jamaat leader died on the way to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital after sustaining critical injuries in a clash.
Jamaat and BNP traded blame over instigating the violent clash although the Election Commission directed the authorities to withdraw Jhenaigati upazila nirbahi officer Ashraful Alam and Jhenaigati police officer-in-charge Nazmul Hasan amid protests against the Jamaat leader’s death. The BNP suspended its 41-member Sherpur district convening committee following the incident. Coordinated activities of EC with political parties would have been successful in preventing such loss if all parties were serious from the very beginning of the election campaign.
The TIB and other civil society bodies have already warned that the fragile reform process and the government’s failure to control mob violence could adversely affect the February 12 election. Reports also reflected on the expansion and growing influence of religion-based politics.
Violence and coercion pose threats to gender equality and religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity, in contradiction to the spirit of the Anti-Discrimination Movement. There was inaction or appeasement by the authorities, which further contributed to the empowerment of certain corners of religious extremism.
Referring to its earlier findings, the TIB said that a record number of candidates from Islamic political parties are contesting, while women’s participation has declined. Candidates from Islamic parties account for 36.35% of the total contestants in the February 12 polls, compared with 22.11% in 2008.
Regrettably though, female candidates make up only 4.02% of the contestants in the upcoming election. Amid a widespread controversy over a post about working women from the verified X account of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief, the party later claimed that the account had been briefly hacked.
Jamaat alleged that “a particular group and their cyber team” were involved in the hacking incident, calling it a conspiracy aimed at maligning the party and its leader. However, BNP questioned the credibility of the Jamaat’s hacking claim, pointing out that it was made nearly nine hours after the controversial post had already sparked nationwide criticism.
Oli Md Abdullah Chowdhury is a human rights worker.
