In a heart-wrenching escalation of the ongoing reign of terror under the BNP-led mobocracy that has gripped Bangladesh since August 2024, former councillor and Swechchasebak League leader Shahinur Rahman Shahin succumbed to his injuries on February 23 while undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital in Dhaka.
This senseless killing is yet another grim testament to the systematic targeting, persecution, and elimination of Awami League members and affiliates by violent mobs and extremist elements aligned with the ruling coalition, which has unleashed unprecedented violence, resulting in over 1,000 deaths, thousands of injuries, the arbitrary imprisonment of more than 400,000 individuals, widespread looting of homes, and dozens of custodial deaths—all in a blatant assault on democracy and human rights.
Shahin, a resident of Kuthipara in Jashore’s Chougachha municipality and father of two young children, was viciously attacked around 11:30am on February 16 while heading home from his shop. Local sources and family accounts reveal that as he stopped at Kuthipara intersection to chat with residents, a group of local terrorists ambushed him from behind, striking his head with SS pipes.
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Gravely injured, he was rushed to Chougachha Upazila Health Complex for initial treatment before being referred to Jessore 250-Bed General Hospital. His deteriorating condition necessitated an urgent transfer to BSMMU in Dhaka that same night, where he underwent brain surgery on February 18. Doctors had warned that the first 72 hours were critical, but despite passing that period, Shahin never regained consciousness. He was pronounced dead around 7:30pm on February 23.
This barbaric act is not an isolated incident but a chilling example of the mobocracy orchestrated by the BNP-Jamaat-NCP alliance, which has transformed Bangladesh into a lawless arena of vengeance since toppling the Awami League government in August 2024.
Under the Yunus regime, Awami League leaders, activists, and sympathisers have been hunted down like prey: over 1,000 have been murdered in cold blood through lynchings, targeted assaults, and enforced disappearances; thousands more have suffered life-altering injuries from beatings, shootings, and torture; more than 400,000 have been thrown into overcrowded prisons on fabricated charges, often without due process; homes and properties have been looted and torched in broad daylight; and scores have died in custody under suspicious circumstances, with no accountability.
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This wave of state-sponsored and mob-fueled violence has not only silenced opposition voices but has eroded the very fabric of justice, turning public spaces into killing fields and prisons into death chambers.
Chougachha Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rezaul Islam confirmed the death, stating: “We have heard that former councillor Shahin died while under treatment. We haven’t received any related documents yet, and no written complaint has been filed by the family. We are inquiring into the matter, and legal action will be taken.” Yet, such assurances ring hollow in a climate where perpetrators—often shielded by political patronage—operate with impunity, while victims’ families live in fear of further reprisals.
The death of Shahinur Rahman Shahin demands immediate condemnation and action. It underscores the urgent need to dismantle this mobocracy, hold the BNP-Jamaat-NCP accountable for fostering a culture of violence, and restore the rule of law to protect all citizens, regardless of political affiliation. International observers and human rights groups must intervene to prevent further bloodshed, as Bangladesh teeters on the brink of irreversible chaos under this tyrannical grip. Justice for Shahin and the countless others must prevail over the politics of hate and revenge.
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