Violence erupted in Gopalganj, Bangladesh, on July 16, 2025, during a rally organized by the National Citizen Party (NCP), resulting in four deaths and over 50 injuries. The clashes occurred when supporters of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League disrupted the NCP’s “March to Rebuild the Nation” event in Hasina’s ancestral district, a stronghold of her support base. Pro-Hasina activists, armed with sticks, set vehicles ablaze and attacked police, prompting security forces to deploy tear gas and sound grenades to control the situation.
The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus since Hasina’s resignation and exile to India in August 2024, condemned the violence as an attack on the NCP’s right to assemble. A curfew was enforced in Gopalganj from Wednesday evening to Thursday afternoon, with over 1,500 police, army, and border guard personnel deployed to restore calm. A committee, led by Nasimul Ghani of the Ministry of Home Affairs, has been tasked with investigating the incident within two weeks, and at least 25 individuals have been arrested.
The NCP, founded by students who spearheaded the 2024 protests that led to Hasina’s ouster, plans to continue its rallies, with an upcoming event scheduled in Faridpur. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has criticized the interim government’s response, while the Jamaat-e-Islami party denounced the attacks and announced its own protests.
The unrest reflects Bangladesh’s ongoing political instability, nearly a year after deadly protests over government job quotas claimed over 300 lives and forced Hasina’s departure. Recent charges against Hasina by the International Crimes Tribunal for alleged crimes against humanity have further deepened divisions, as the nation navigates economic challenges and a polarized political landscape.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, July 18th, 2025
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