The BNP government, which came to power through elections in February, completed six months on August 16. However, even after the elected government came to power, there has been no significant improvement in the law and order situation in the last six months (February-August), according to police’s own statistics and investigations. From businessmen and political leaders to ordinary people, everyone is now living their days amidst extortion demands, shootings and death threats from terrorists.
An analysis of the monthly crime statistics of the police headquarters revealed that in the six months from February to July, 1,789 murder cases were registered across the country, an average of about 10 per day. The number was 1,585 during the same period last year; that is, the number of murder cases increased by about 12.5 percent. Of these, 361 murder cases were recorded in the Chittagong range alone, which is the highest after the Dhaka range (404).
According to the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP), at least 125 murder cases were registered in the city from August 2024 to May 2025. At least 25 people were killed in the city in the first seven months of this year alone. A review of 35 high-profile shootings and murders since the July Revolution showed that 22 people were shot dead. At least 13 shooters or gunmen have been named in these incidents, although the police believe that more than a hundred shooters, both big and small, are active across the city.
The picture in Raozan upazila of the district is even more worrying. In the last 23 months, 28 murders have occurred there, of which 18 were BNP leaders and activists. They were reportedly killed in party feuds and conflicts over area control. Again, 15 of these murders occurred in broad daylight, in public.
According to the Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), 134 people were killed in mob violence across the country from January to July this year, of which 31 were in Chittagong – the highest number after Dhaka (50).
Threatening messages including extortion, gunshots, red spots
According to law enforcement and local sources, at least eight notorious terrorist groups are currently active in Chittagong city. They have long been accused of extorting money from under-construction buildings, businesses, sidewalks, garages, sand pits, and the transportation sector. If the money is not paid, there are incidents of shooting at homes, red marks on doors, and death threats directly over the phone.
According to police data, 68 cases of extortion were registered in the city from August 2024 to May this year. During the same period, at least 40 more shooting incidents occurred in the areas of Oxygen, Baluchara, Hamzarbagh, Chandanpura, Chandgaon, Badurtala, Khulshi, Burma Colony, Baklia and Kalurghat. In Chandgaon and Panchlaish police stations alone, 15 cases of extortion were registered in the first 17 months after the July Revolution, although the actual number is higher. Many of the victims do not even go to the police station due to fear and inconvenience.
In such a situation, on July 14, a group of businessmen in Chittagong took to the streets to protest extortion and terrorist activities. The day before, there were allegations of an attack on an internet service provider in Baklia and looting of 3.5 million taka. It is alleged that an extortion of 20 million taka was demanded from the owner of the company two days ago. The name of top terrorist Bora Sajjad came up as being involved in this incident. Later, following this incident, the Chittagong District Police arrested David Emon, one of Bora Sajjad’s associates from Jessore.
Armed attacks and public shootings over extortion continue to occur in Chittagong city and district. On February 28, terrorists armed with pistols, SMGs, Chinese rifles and shotguns attacked a businessman’s house in Chandanpura area of ​​Chawkbazar police station over non-payment of extortion money. Despite the presence of police guarding the house, the terrorists opened fire, creating panic. A few months later, on June 13, Masudul Haque Chowdhury (45), a Jubo Dal leader and senior joint convener of Rangunia Upazila Jubo Dal, was publicly shot dead in a market in Raojan. The murder in the market spread panic among the locals. Both incidents brought to the fore the issue of the power of armed criminals in Chittagong.
Even government offices are being attacked regularly. In the past year, at least 10 government offices in Chittagong have been attacked, vandalized, threatened, and armed with weapons. Five of them occurred in the past six months. The latest incident was on June 21, when contractors attacked the Chittagong office of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED). Three days earlier, there were allegations that Tanvir Islam, the executive engineer of the Chittagong Education Engineering Department, entered the office and threatened him with a weapon.
Akhtar Kabir Chowdhury, Chittagong Metropolitan President of Citizens for Good Governance (SUJON), said that terrorist forces become reckless when they receive political patronage and in many cases they also establish contact with the administration. In this situation, he urged the administration to be allowed to work in a party-neutral manner.
Political violence and killing of party leaders and activists
Not only ordinary crimes, but also political conflicts are causing deaths in Chittagong. Questions have been raised about such killings even within the ruling party itself. Conflicts over territorial dominance, control of sidewalk and dish-internet businesses, and the sharing of extortion have been identified as the reasons behind the killing of BNP leaders and activists one after another in Chittagong.
The picture in the Chittagong Hill Tracts is also worrying. According to the Chittagong Hill Tracts Citizens’ Council, there were about 240 human rights violations there in the first six months of this year, including kidnapping, killing, extortion, and land grabbing.
Chittagong City Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Muhammad Nazrul Islam alleged that attacks, looting and firing of weapons are going on in broad daylight at businesses, yet the government is unable to play an effective role in stopping these. On the other hand, Chittagong City BNP convener and MP Ershad Ullah said that ordinary people including businessmen are feeling uneasy due to the terrorists. Therefore, they should be suppressed with strict hands.
Chittagong Metropolitan Police Commissioner Hasan Md. Shawkat Ali said that several terrorists have already been arrested along with weapons and the operation to catch the rest is ongoing. He also commented that there is no reason for the city residents to panic.
On the other hand, District Police SP Masud Alam claims that after taking charge, he has taken control of the Raozan and Sitakunda jungles of Salimpur. He has arrested terrorists like David Emon, one of the associates of Bara Sajjad. As a result, the underworld has become much weaker now.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has claimed in the media that the law and order situation has visibly improved in the last six months since the government took office and that some more time is needed to reach the expected level. However, analysts believe that the reality on the ground speaks differently. When asked about this, Assistant Professor Moumita Pal, President of the Department of Criminology and Police Science at Chittagong University, said that the law and order situation in the country has deteriorated after the political change. As a result, various social crimes including rape are increasing.
