Election fervor in Bangladesh turned deadly over 3.5 months, with Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) documenting 10 fatalities and 2,503 injuries amid widespread clashes from October 2025 to February 14, 2026. The report, launched at a high-profile Jatiya Press Club briefing, lays bare the perils of the nation’s fractious politics.
Led by Executive Director Mohammad Ijazul Islam, HRSS mobilized 565 observers across every district, scrutinizing 1,733 polling stations in 100 constituencies and 347 counting sessions. Shockingly, 48 observers were physically prevented from monitoring counts, contravening statutes that guarantee their role.
Polling day, February 12, bucked the trend as peaceful—no lives lost. But irregularities tainted 21 sites: illegal seizures, access denials, ballot manipulations, premature seals, and suppressed result displays.
Saiful Islam’s in-depth tally recorded 393 polling-day incidents: 149 malpractices, 105 partisan fights, 59 stuffings, 19 agent removals, 13 negligent officials, 18 voter blocks, six candidate assaults, three box thefts, two fires, plus 31 miscellany—totaling 145 injuries.
Fallout: 50 detained, 13 officials sacked, 55 punished, five journalists battered, three polls voided, 64 deepfake spreads. Pre-poll violence from December 11, 2025, to February 11 raged with 254 events, five dead, 1,650 hurt, 24 gunned down, 200+ attacked.
Factional strife dominated: BNP internals (68, 595 injured, 3 killed); BNP-Jamaat (100, 915 hurt, 1 dead); BNP-NCP (12, 58 injured); and sundry others. Results triggered 30-district mayhem—200 clashes, 300+ casualties, 350 destructions, three deaths.
Gendered violence scarred 32 episodes, harassing 45 women, injuring 23, with 31 pinned on BNP elements. As Bangladesh grapples with these horrors, the HRSS report demands accountability and robust safeguards to prevent future electoral bloodbaths.