I have borrowed the title from an Alfred Hitchcock Movie of the same title – ‘Dial M for Murder’. The movie was all about weaving an intricate plot to arrange the murder of a lady in her own flat. But the pertinent question is why I have chosen the same title and murder as the central theme of this article. Well, because Bangladesh has become a valley of death; a vast killing field; an arena of blood sport. The way murders and murderers are proliferating in this country soon this landmass will look like the Wild West, as every citizen will be carrying a gun to defend himself.
Murder or homicide has become a favourite sport in Bangladesh. Yes, I prefer to call it a sport –a head-hunting game of the blood-thirsty predators. And the sinister sport is taking place everywhere in the country providing a weird kind of entertainment to the countrymen, whether they like it or not. The brutality with which one human is chopping the head off another reminds one of the tales of Washington Irving or the macabre tales of Edgar Allan Poe or intriguing masterpieces of Agatha Christie. Unfortunately, our murders are all about real blood and real humans.
From the print and electronic media, we come to know of the murders taking place in the country every day in the foulest ways possible. The screaming headlines tell us how people are being beaten to death or shot at or knifed/hacked with great precision. Many of those bone chilling homicides are taking place in broad daylight, in the vicinity of police stations or court premises or hospitals. Killers chase down a victim and shoot him to death in front of a dozen witnesses on the road or in a shop. The daily and yearly statistics appear to be ‘unbelievable’ to a decent human being.
One compilation says that nearly 70 people have been murdered in Jessore district in the year 2024. Now, that is only a reflection of what has happened in other districts in the same period. According to police records, cases of homicide have increased manifold across Bangladesh with ominous regularity. In January 2025, 294 murder cases were filed and the number rose to 344. The statistics span from 2020 to June 2025. According to the CA Press Wing, last year, a total of 294 murder cases were filed in January, the number continues to increase through June. The number of murder cases was 300 in February, 316 in March, 338 in April, 341 in May, and 344 in June.
A closer look shows a steady rise in murder cases in the past six months – June to December 2025. Yearly data shows: nationwide murder cases were 3,539 in 2020; 3,214 in 2021; 3,126 in 2022, and 3,023 in 2023. Murder cases increased significantly in 2024 to 4,114. However, that was mostly due to political unrest and indiscriminate killing during the student–people uprising. The rising trend of cases continued through 2025 when 1,933 murder cases were filed between January and June.
As per police records, the average number of cases per month in the last four years was around 269, and the average of six months is approximately 1,613. During the first nine months of 2025, roughly 11 murder cases were filed per day. Alarmingly, this figure marks the highest daily registration of murder cases in a decade. As per police records, most murders took place in Dhaka division with 685 cases, followed by 352 cases in the Dhaka Metropolitan area under the jurisdiction of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). Police say that most of these homicides were linked to suppressing political opponents and seeking to exert local dominance.
This has been revealed that during the student-led mass uprising in 2024, various types of lethal weapons, including LMGs, SMGs, Chinese rifles, shotguns, revolvers, and pistols were used quite indiscriminately. “Investigations by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) reveal that a total of 305,311 rounds were fired nationwide, with 95,313 rounds fired in Dhaka alone. According to the Ministry of Law, 837 cases were filed across Bangladesh alleging killings of students and citizens during the uprising.”
Mob violence is a dreaded new kind of killing method in Bangladesh; many call it a ‘murderous monster’ that stops only after death of the victim has been confirmed. The frenzy of a mob can only be compared with a runaway locomotive that crushes everything on its way. Only the other day, a young lawyer was beaten to death by a mob inside the Bashundhara residential enclave. The young man was driving a car and it hit a motorcycle. Altercation ensued and at one point, two youths riding the motorcycle started to beat up the young lawyer. Soon a mob gathered and they also took part in the frenzy. The young man died in a hospital. The mob did not have a face so no one could be charged.
We may try to find out the major Reasons for taking the lives of other humans: Land dispute is one major reason why homicide takes place within the family. This happens when disputes arise during distribution of a small land piece among many brothers. Violence culminates into killing. On many occasions angry sons have struck down their own fathers for the ownership of agricultural land. Murders often follow snatching by thugs on the roads, mainly at night in a remote area. There were numerous cases of killing following feuds between husband and wife. A number of cases of homicide were reported when victims went to recover loans from borrowers.
It seems more murders take place because of political rivalry among workers of different political parties. The student-mob uprising in July-August will remain the best example of mob justice in the country.
Social psychologists may dig deep into the psyche of the people to learn what motivates them to kill another human at a little provocation or join a fray and get physically involved in fights and so on. Maybe such skirmishes release their energy or pent up emotions. The enormity of the situation definitely calls for undertaking research to come up with answers.
