At least nine people were killed and 346 others injured in 58 incidents of political violence across Bangladesh in June, marking a sharp increase from the previous month, according to the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS).
The findings were disclosed in the organisation's June 2026 Human Rights Monitoring Report, released on Thursday. The report is based on information gathered from 16 national newspapers, HRSS monitoring and fact-finding investigations.
According to the report, political violence claimed five lives and injured 289 people in May.
Of the June incidents, BNP internal conflicts accounted for the highest number of casualties, leaving three people dead and 146 injured in 21 incidents. Eight BNP-Jamaat clashes killed two people and injured 36, while 14 BNP-Awami League confrontations left two dead and 115 injured. Five BNP-NCP clashes injured 18 people, five BNP clashes with other political parties injured nine, and five inter-party clashes left two dead and 22 injured.
The report said most incidents stemmed from turf war, political rivalry, internal disputes and extortion. It also documented at least 12 targeted attacks on political activists that killed nine people and injured 22, while at least 15 political leaders and activists sustained gunshot injuries. Across the country, 45 houses, business establishments and party offices were attacked, looted, vandalised or set on fire in 15 incidents linked to political violence and territorial disputes.
HRSS also reported the filing of more than 22 political cases during the month, naming 627 individuals and around 1,262 unidentified accused. A total of 4,775 people were arrested in 257 incidents, including 1,559 Awami League leaders and activists, 35 BNP members and two Jamaat-e-Islami activists.
Expressing concern over mob violence, the organisation said 31 people were killed and 69 injured in 63 incidents of mob attacks over allegations ranging from theft and robbery to religious insults and local disputes. At least 66 law enforcement personnel were also assaulted in 29 incidents during raids, traffic duty and mob violence.
The report recorded 39 incidents involving journalists, in which 47 media professionals were harassed. Of them, 28 were injured, five assaulted, nine threatened, five detained and 12 implicated in seven criminal cases.
HRSS further alleged growing restrictions on civil liberties. It said law enforcement agencies obstructed six meetings and rallies, leaving 17 people injured and 36 detained. In 11 separate incidents involving freedom of expression, 11 people were detained and seven cases filed, while four separate cases under the Cyber Security Ordinance, 2025, implicated nine people and led to four arrests.
The organisation also documented three deaths involving law enforcement, including one in Detective Branch custody allegedly due to torture and two in alleged gunfights. Seven prisoners, including three detainees awaiting trial, died in prisons during the month.
Beyond the political sphere, HRSS recorded 11 workers killed and 184 injured in 55 labour-related incidents, while 39 workers died in workplace accidents. It also documented widespread violence against women and children, including 106 rapes, of which 75 victims were children, alongside 291 cases of child abuse that claimed 54 lives.
HRSS Executive Director Ijazul Islam said the country's human rights situation had entered a sensitive and changing stage, expressing particular concern over political violence, mob attacks, restrictions on freedom of expression and the increasing use of arrests and legal action over social media posts.
If these issues are not addressed, the human rights situation may deteriorate further, he said, urging the government to take more accountable and responsible steps to protect fundamental rights.
