Bloodstained Gopalganj: Severe Human Rights Violations Under Yunus’s Shadow

Editorial

The false promise of a democratic transition in Bangladesh, as envisioned by Professor Yunus and his companions,is now becoming clear through the use of military force. In the weeks before the “March to Gopalganj,” National Citizens Party (NCP) leaders and members spread inflammatory rhetoric online, including unverified claims and symbolic threats directed at the grave of the father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Some NCP figures even chanted derogatory speeches and slogans about Bangladesh’s history, which many residents in Gopalganj and observers across the country saw as an attack on sacred national identity. Gopalganj isn’t just any district; it’s the birthplace of Bangladesh’s leader, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whose grave and mausoleum are in Tungi Para, his hometown. These comments about Gopalganj, widely shared on TikTok, Facebook, and Telegram, weren’t just tactless; they were highly provocative, as the legacy of Bangabandhu is central to both personal and collective identity.

The NCP undermined the legitimacy of the local people of Gopalganj and fueledthe fear and anger of Gopalganj residents, which then escalated into resistance. The state responded to this resistance with brutal force. On July 16, in Gopalganj, at least four civilians were shot dead when the Bangladesh Army and police opened fire on a rally organised by Gopalganj residents. Footage widely circulating shows soldiers dragging unarmed youths, placing boots on a youth’s head, firing tear gas indiscriminately, live rounds at fleeing protesters, and launching tear gas at unarmed crowds, as well as detaining civilians at night in retaliation. This isn’t about “security”- it’s state repression: violent, deliberate, and illegal, all under the eyes of Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus.

The deaths in Gopalganj represent a dark chapter in Bangladesh’s political development. It’s a tragedy driven by dual blame: the NCP irresponsibly escalated tensions with inflammatory language and threats to sensitive national symbols, and the Yunus-led interim government responded with excessive violence, breaching human rights and worsening the political crisis. The military and police’s reaction was a massacre. Their conduct violated national laws and international human rights standards. As a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Bangladesh is duty-bound to protect everyone’s right to life and the right to peaceful assembly. According to UN principles, the use of deadly force is unjustifiable unless there is an immediate threat to life. Since there’s no evidence that protesters were armed or dangerous, their killing is excessive, unlawful, and extrajudicial.

This action in Gopalganj signals a dangerous move towards militarised rule. Civilian casualties and human rights abuses cannot be justified as a way to stay in power. It risks increasing polarisation and radicalisation. Yunus’s silence after the Gopalganj killings, and his support for the brutality of the state’s security forces without any apology, investigation, or justice, raises serious questions: Is the army operating to silence civilian rights and voices? Has Yunus abandoned democratic oversight for short-term gains? Let’s be clear: what happened in Gopalganj breaches international human rights law. The global community must go beyond symbolic support for Yunus’s transitional role and demand an independent investigation into these killings, while helping to protect civilian rights by stepping down a government that lacks legitimacy.