Siam Parvez, The Voice, Dhaka, July 28, 2025 —
On 16 July 2025, violent clashes erupted in Gopalganj, the ancestral home of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, triggered by a provocative rally organized by the National Citizens Party (NCP)—a political group widely seen as aligned with the country’s military-backed interim regime led by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
A sweeping military crackdown followed, leaving at least five people dead and over 300 arrested in the wake of the unrest.
Army and police opened fire, killing at least four people on the spot. A rickshaw-puller, critically injured during the incident, later died at a hospital in Dhaka, raising the total death toll to five.
In response, authorities imposed a district-wide curfew and launched house-to-house raids across Gopalganj, detaining individuals allegedly linked to the Awami League and its affiliated organizations. By 19 July, at least 164 people had been arrested, with three separate cases filed, naming around 2,800 suspects.
Subsequent operations brought the total number of arrests to 321 by the end of Thursday night. The charges, as framed by the interim government, include murder, vandalism, and “anti-state activities.”
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a statement claiming that the Bangladesh Army acted in self-defense, alleging that “terrorist activities” disrupted the rally with crude bombs, projectiles, and brickbats hurled at security personnel. The army, police, BGB, and RAB were deployed to restore order and protect critical installations.
However, video evidence telecast by media outlets and citizen journalists shows no life-threatening situation for law enforcement. In one video, Ramjan Kazi, a 17-year-old mason, is seen being captured, dragged, and beaten by police before his bullet-ridden body was returned.
In another disturbing video, army personnel are seen dragging an injured youth, and at one point, a soldier is filmed strangling him with a boot pressed to his neck.
Rights groups and local residents have sharply criticized the military’s actions. The four victims—Dipto Saha (30), Ramzan Kazi (17), Sohel Molla, and Imon Talukder—were either buried or cremated without post-mortem examinations, drawing condemnation from legal experts and organizations like Ain o Salish Kendra.
Local witnesses report a climate of fear and devastation: businesses shuttered, deserted streets, and livelihoods disrupted. One auto‑rickshaw driver said he earned only Tk 70 in two hours, with no food at home. Vendors reported massive losses due to spoilage and closures.
Conflicting narratives have emerged. While official sources confirm five deaths, some local and international outlets report the actual number could be as high as 21. Both the interim government and NCP leadership have blamed each other for provoking the violence, fueling debate over the army’s partisan role.
This massacre in Gopalganj, Mujib’s birthplace and a political stronghold of the Awami League, is seen as a turning point in the nation’s ongoing crisis.
The clashes come amid months of systematic human rights violations under the interim administration that took power on August 5, 2024, following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Since then, rights monitors have documented extrajudicial killings, mob lynchings, and state-backed raids on supporters of the Awami League.
On February 5, 2025, NCP-aligned youth groups demolished the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 in Dhaka, a deeply symbolic attack on Sheikh Mujib’s legacy. Since then, attacks on homes, businesses, and even court premises have escalated.
“This is not an isolated incident,” said a senior human rights observer. “This is part of a broader political cleansing campaign.”
With the 2026 national elections approaching, analysts warn that the military-backed regime is trying to eliminate democratic opposition to entrench itself in power. The central question now is: how long will this repression continue before the international community steps in?
