Narsingdi, a thriving industrial and commercial hub adjacent to Dhaka, is currently gripped by a severe law and order crisis.
Once defined by economic promise, the district is now plagued by brazen robberies, brutal murders, and territorial clashes, leaving residents and business owners facing profound uncertainty.
The security collapse is particularly acute in the remote char (river island) areas, where rival groups engage in pitched battles using firearms, leister, wearing helmets, and even bulletproof jackets.
Meanwhile, highways have become hotbeds for highway robberies, where any resistance from victims frequently results in immediate fatalities.
Official data paints a grim picture of the decline. A police report submitted to the District Law and Order Committee revealed that 135 people were murdered in Narsingdi between August 2024 and November 2025.
This is more than double the 64 murders recorded during the same period the previous year, averaging nine killings a month following the August 2024 mass uprising.
While authorities withheld official statistics for the subsequent seven months, media reports highlight continuous bloodshed, recording eight murders in May 2026 and five in just the first half of June.
Local stakeholders point to systemic socio-economic decay.
Tushar Mitra, a lawyer at the Narsingdi Judge Court, noted that while traditional feuds and turf wars drive major clashes, a surge in drug abuse has triggered a wave of petty but brutal crimes. “Major murders are being committed for very little profit due to drugs and easy-bike snatching,” Mitra said.
The business community is equally alarmed. Rashedul Hasan Rintu, president of the Narsingdi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, expressed dissatisfaction with the security apparatus.
“Theft, robbery, and murder are increasing,” he stated, emphasising that policing alone cannot solve the crisis. “If the unemployment and drug problems are eliminated, law and order will improve, creating an investment-friendly environment.”
According to residents, the instability skyrocketed after 5 August 2024, giving rise to extortion, juvenile gangs, and unchecked drug trafficking.
Although the installation of a political government in February 2026 has slightly curbed gang activity, the proliferation of illegal firearms remains a major threat.
Law enforcement attributes this influx to Narsingdi’s strategic geography; bordering Brahmanbaria, its robust road, rail, and water networks have turned it into a prime transit route for drug smuggling and fleeing outlaws.
Compounding the crisis is a violent struggle for political dominance. Factions within the BNP, returning to influence after two decades, are locked in deadly internal feuds.
In September 2025 alone, Alokbali Union turned into a battleground where BNP activist Idon Mia, housewife Ferdousi Begum, and Jubo Dal leader Sadek Mia were all shot dead in separate incidents of infighting.
Narsingdi Superintendent of Police, Md Abdullah Al Faruk, defended the force’s actions, maintaining that 90% of the district’s murder cases have been brought under the law following rigorous investigations. He noted that over the past six months, police operations have yielded the seizure of 21 firearms alongside the arrests of 22 gunmen, 70 robbers, and 24 terrorists. Despite these assurances, the climate of fear continues to overshadow daily life in Narsingdi.
Murders one after another
A terrifying wave of consecutive murders has gripped Narsingdi, leaving residents on edge as the death toll rises over just a few weeks.
The grim streak began on 7 May, when police recovered three bodies from Belabo, Raipura, and Madhabdi.
The violence continued on 22 May, when a young man named Ashiq Bhuiyan was stabbed to death in Majherchar village in Palash.
Just two days later, on 24 May, authorities discovered the bloodied body of a businessman, Rafiqul Islam Munshi, inside his shop near Hatubhanga station in Raipura. That same day, another man named Yasmin, alias Sumon, was murdered at a chicken farm near the Pirizkandi rail gate in Raipura.
As June arrived, local easy-bike drivers became targets for fatal hijackings.
On 2 June, the body of Fahim Mia was recovered from a pond in Madhya Shilmandi in Narsingdi Sadar upazila; he had been murdered for his vehicle’s battery.
Similarly, on 13 June, Sarwar Hossain went missing after heading out with his easy bike. Two days later, police recovered his mutilated body in the Beribandh area of Nazarpur, his vehicle stolen.
The unrest escalated dramatically on 16 June during a fierce, organised clash in Raipura’s Nilaksha area, which left three people dead and many injured.
The conflict featured chilling scenes in the local char area, where opposing groups exchanged heavy gunfire while wearing tactical gear, including helmets and bulletproof jackets or police vests, highlighting a severe deterioration of law and order in the region.
