The Chief Adviser’s Office has said police records show only five killings with direct political links in the 36 days following the announcement of the election schedule, disputing a Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) claim that 15 political leaders and activists were killed during the period.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the office said TIB’s presentation lacked historical context and that political violence around elections was not new in Bangladesh. According to the statement, six people were killed during the 2024 polls, 22 during the 2018 election, and at least 115 in the 2014 election.
Against this background, the current pre-election period does not indicate a breakdown in security, the statement said.
It explained that the difference between TIB’s figures and official data stems from classification methods. According to the government, TIB counted all killings of individuals affiliated with political parties as election-related, regardless of motive.
Official records, however, include only deaths with direct and verifiable links to electoral activity. Treating the two approaches as equivalent creates a misleading picture of insecurity, the statement said.
The statement said one of the five incidents was the murder of Osman Hadi, who was shot dead by gunmen on a motorcycle. It described the killing as brutal and aimed at creating fear and instability at a sensitive political time.
It said every killing was condemnable but noted that the country did not witness retaliatory violence and the election process had not been disrupted following the incident.
The Chief Adviser’s Office acknowledged that public security remains imperfect, citing years of politicised policing and alleged abuses under the previous government that eroded public trust.
It said the interim administration has removed or suspended officials facing credible allegations, reviewed the role of specialised units, initiated criminal proceedings in cases of enforced disappearance and torture, and issued clear guidelines for policing public gatherings and the election period.
The statement said recent events demonstrated improved restraint and professionalism. These included the peaceful management of three emotionally charged occasions—the funerals of Osman Hadi and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, and the return of BNP chairman Tarique Rahman.
It added that while no government can fully prevent attempts at violence, current conditions differ from the past. Security forces remain under close scrutiny, political parties and civil society are cooperating, and international observers are present.
