By Probir Kumar Sarker
In a chilling display of force, the Bangladesh Army has invoked a flimsy “self-defense” narrative to justify the killing of multiple civilians during a violent crackdown on a protest in Gopalganj on July 16, 2025.
The army’s actions, coupled with the inflammatory conduct of the National Citizen Party (NCP), have sparked widespread condemnation for flouting legal and political norms, raising serious questions about accountability and the rule of law in Bangladesh.
According to a delayed statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), issued 24 hours after the bloodshed, army personnel opened fire on what they described as an “unruly group” at an NCP rally in Gopalganj’s Municipality Park around 2pm.
The ISPR claimed the shootings were a response to “coordinated acts of violence,” including crude bombs and brickbats hurled at security forces.
Yet, the statement conspicuously omitted critical details, such as the number of casualties or the circumstances of their deaths. Independent media reports confirmed at least four deaths from gunshot wounds, with some sources citing seven and the Awami League reporting up to 11 fatalities.
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The army’s narrative of restraint and professionalism is starkly contradicted by harrowing live footage broadcast by television channels and streamed on social media. In one video, an army officer is heard shouting expletives, ordering subordinates to “shoot kor, direct shoot kor” (aim and shoot them).
A soldier responded that bullets had already been fired, while another noted that the protesters were taunting the army to approach.
The most shocking incident, captured live, shows soldiers shooting a man, kicking his body as he lay on the street, and one soldier pressing a boot on his throat to ensure his death before loading the corpse into a police van.
Another video depicts a soldier crossing a road, kneeling, and firing across a lake in a calculated act of cold-blooded killing.
These actions, far from defensive, suggest a deliberate and disproportionate use of lethal force, violating international human rights standards and Bangladesh’s own legal framework for handling civil unrest.
Gopalganj: Yunus-led government, King’s party NCP provoked the army
Gopalganj: Yunus-led government, King’s party NCP provoked the army
The absence of autopsies on the deceased—confirmed by doctors at Gopalganj’s general hospital to have died from bullet wounds—further undermines the army’s claims of transparency and adherence to due process.
The hasty burials of three victims and the cremation of another without public oversight raise suspicions of a cover-up.
NCP’s role in inciting violence
The NCP bears equal responsibility for escalating tensions through provocative and unlawful conduct.
In the days leading up to the event, NCP leaders, including Convener Nahid Islam, Md Sarjis Alam, and Tasnim Jara, posted inflammatory threats on Facebook, vowing a “March to Gopalganj” and targeting the Awami League and the mausoleum of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Tungipara, 19 km away.
At the rally, NCP leaders delivered speeches laced with vitriol against the Awami League and the legacy of Bangabandhu, further inflaming an already volatile situation.
The NCP’s history of orchestrating violence adds weight to accusations of political irresponsibility.
The party previously masterminded the demolition and arson of Bangabandhu’s Dhanmondi-32 residence on August 5, August 15, and February 5, alongside over 2,000 attacks on Liberation War sculptures, murals, and museums.
These acts, carried out with impunity by NCP supporters and allied extremist groups like Jamaat-Shibir, point to a pattern of exploiting political gatherings to incite chaos and undermine democratic norms.
Army’s complicity in political turmoil
The Bangladesh Army’s conduct in Gopalganj is not an isolated incident but part of a troubling pattern of selective enforcement and political bias. In early August 2024, the army stood idly by as Jamaat-Shibir and militant mobs stormed Ganabhaban to seize power, falsely labeling them as “people.”
This inaction, condemned by UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk, led to warnings about the army’s eligibility for UN peacekeeping missions. Since being granted magistracy powers in September 2024, the army has overseen a surge in violence by pro-government mobs, further eroding public trust.
The involvement of high-ranking officials in the Gopalganj incident deepens concerns about politicised military action.
Home Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and mob leader-turned-adviser Asif Mahmud were monitoring the situation via CCTV at Police Headquarters, issuing direct instructions to ground forces.
Asif Mahmud’s subsequent Facebook post threatening to “exterminate” the Awami League, accompanied by photos of him with Chowdhury and police officials, underscores the dangerous nexus between the army, police, and partisan actors.
Government’s heavy-handed response
The government’s imposition of an indefinite curfew, with only a three-hour break starting Friday, and the arrest of over two dozen people in overnight raids signal a broader crackdown on dissent.
The curfew, declared from 8pm on Wednesday to 6pm on Thursday, failed to quell public outrage, fueled by viral videos of police brutality, including Kotalipara police chief Md Abul Kalam Azad dragging a man by the collar and interrogating his ties to the now-banned Chhatra League before handing over his body to a relative.
The army’s claim that it acted to protect public safety—citing injuries to police and journalists, damage to government vehicles, and an assault on the district jail—rings hollow against evidence of premeditated violence.
The ISPR’s assertion that forces issued loudspeaker warnings before firing ignores the live footage showing no such restraint. The army’s narrative of restoring order is further undermined by its failure to address the NCP’s role in stoking unrest or to investigate the excessive force used against protesters.
Political backlash and calls for justice
Awami League President and five-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned the Gopalganj killings as a “horrific attack” orchestrated by “illegal occupier, murderer-fascist” Muhammad Yunus and his NCP “gang.”
In a statement, she called for citizens to unite against this “tyranny” and protect Bangladesh’s democratic and non-communal ideals. General Secretary Obaidul Quader announced protest programs for Thursday, urging supporters to prepare for a “Long March to Jamuna” in a final stand to oust the Yunus regime.
The Gopalganj incident has exposed the fragility of Bangladesh’s political and legal order. The army’s unchecked use of lethal force, coupled with the NCP’s reckless incitement, threatens to deepen divisions and erode democratic norms.
Activists demand that the United Nations and human rights groups investigate the actions of the army and law enforcement agencies and ensure justice for the victims of extrajudicial killings, which were carried out in a planned way.
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