GROWING incidents of public brutality signal the troubling normalisation of violence and a gradual erosion of empathy. In three incidents on March 9, three people were killed in public view. A young man was beaten to death over a fuel dispute at a filling station in Jhenaidah, sparking protests, bus arson and a five-hour highway blockade while the police arrested three suspects. A suspected mugger was beaten to death in Narayanganj after an attempted robbery and the mob also burnt the suspect’s motorcycle. A day labourer was hacked to death in daylight in Kushtia, with the police still investigating the motive. In 2025, mob attacks left at least 197 dead, according to Ain o Salish Kendra, up from 128 the year before, while Manabadhikar Sangskriti Foundation recorded 166 deaths from lynching. Experts argue that increasing public brutality reflects the erosion of public trust in the legal system and warned that unchecked violence can fuel a dangerous propensity for violence in the public.
All such deaths bore marks of unimaginable brutality with little or no action on part of the public. On March 4, a university teacher was fatally stabbed in her office by an employee while bystanders filmed the attack, instead of intervening. There have been numerous incidents of brutality where bystanders chose to film rather than act to help the victim or stop the violence. The failure of the legal system is partly responsible, but other factors have also contributed to growing desensitisation to violence in society. Trivial disputes turning violent among friends or neighbours reflect an alarming appetite for violence that needs to be curbed. Psychologists say that internet dependency and an excessive use of mobiles are disconnecting people from society. Playgrounds and cultural organisations are considered crucial for building an empathetic community, but they barely exist today. Instead of promoting youth participation in cultural or educational activities, mainstream political parties exploit them as muscle power and incentivise violence for partisan gains. Media violence has further fuelled hatred, particularly towards minority communities. The killing and burning of Dipu Chandra Das exemplifies this desensitisation. In December 2025, the 25-year-old Hindu factory worker in Mymensingh was lynched, hanged from a tree and burnt by a mob over alleged blasphemy. Hundreds witnessed the incident, filmed it and shared it on social media, yet no one intervened. Such propensity to violence, if left unattended, will have dangerous consequences in future.
The government should, therefore, reform the legal system to earn people’s faith in it and prioritise cultural and sports activities for the youth so that they are more socially engaged. The government should also run a campaign to sensitise people to violence, especially with a focus on the youth.
