Bangladesh After Hasina: Why Extremism Is Coming Back
In August 2024, Bangladesh’s long-time leader Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave power after massive student protests. Many people hoped this would bring democracy and justice. But instead, it also gave new life to old extremist groups and new actors who want to turn Bangladesh into an Islamic state like the Taliban’s Afghanistan.thedailystar+1
Banned Groups Are Now Marching in the Open
After Hasina’s fall, the country entered a period of weak interim rule under Muhammad Yunus. In this confusion, banned Islamist groups saw a chance.
Hizb ut-Tahrir, which has been illegal since 2009, started holding big rallies in Dhaka.newsonair.gov
In March 2025, thousands of its supporters marched near Baitul Mukarram mosque, shouting “Khilafat, Khilafat” (Caliphate, Caliphate).newsonair.gov+1
Radical speakers became more visible in madrasas, religious gatherings, seminars and even universities.
Online campaigns grew, trying to unite different hardline groups under one goal: an Afghanistan-style Islamic rule in Bangladesh.
For these groups, the post-Hasina situation felt like a green light.dailyrepublicbd
Bombs, Weapons and Arrests: The Warning Signs
Keraniganj madrasa explosion
In December 2025, a strong blast hit a madrasa in Keraniganj, on the outskirts of Dhaka.
The explosion damaged the building and injured four people, including women and children.
Police said the madrasa head, Sheikh Al Amin, had stayed up all night making bombs before the blast.
A woman arrested from the madrasa had earlier been jailed for alleged militant links.
Investigators found large amounts of chemicals and bomb-making materials after the blast.
Weapons cache linked to Neo-JMB
The Keraniganj investigation led police to another scary discovery in February 2026.
A joint forces team raided the home of the personal driver of banned Neo-JMB leader Hafiz Khalid Ibrahim in Jashore.
They found 10 grenades, 3 foreign-made pistols, 19 bullets and other weapons.
Police said a mobile phone recovered after the Keraniganj blast helped them trace this location.
In recent months, there have also been bomb explosions and recoveries of pipe bombs and pressure-cooker bombs in Dhaka, Cumilla, Ashulia and Savar. Investigators believe several extremist networks are behind these.
Air Force personnel and TTP links
In April 2026, 20 people, including Bangladesh Air Force staff, were arrested for alleged links to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This showed that foreign jihadist groups are trying to build a presence inside Bangladesh.
Why the Government’s Response Is Worrying
Despite all these signs, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government did not act strongly.dailyrepublicbd
Officials seemed afraid of angering Islamist groups that said they were oppressed under Hasina.dailyrepublicbd
Key counterterrorism units were weakened by transfers and sidelining of experienced officers.dailyrepublicbd
Extremists took this as a sign that the state would not stop them.newsonair.gov+1
Treating violent extremism like a normal political group is very dangerous. Groups that want to create a Taliban-style state cannot be allowed to work freely.dailyrepublicbd
“There Was No Militancy” – A Dangerous Lie
After July 2024, some senior police officers and media began saying there was “no real militancy” in Bangladesh. They claimed the Awami League’s counterterrorism operations were just a “drama” to scare people.
It is true that:
Many innocent people were falsely accused in the name of fighting terror.
Some raids were staged to show “success”.
Some prisoners, like Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani, were kept in jail longer than the law allowed through extra cases.
But it is wrong to say everything was fake.
Real attacks did happen
After ISIS appeared in 2014, its ideas inspired new extremists in Bangladesh.
During the Shahbagh movement, leaders like Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani openly called for killing bloggers and atheists in sermons.
Bloggers, teachers, LGBT activists and foreigners were murdered by groups linked to ISIS and al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
In July 2016, the Holey Artisan Bakery attack in Dhaka killed 21 people, including 17 foreigners.
These events were real. They cannot be erased just because the Hasina government later misused anti-terror laws for politics.
What the New Tarique Rahman Government Must Do
The UN Security Council has warned that al-Qaeda is trying to set up a cell in Bangladesh. This is a clear signal that the threat is serious.
Under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the government needs a new approach:
Zero tolerance for violence: No space for terrorism, militant recruitment or attempts to force an Islamic state by violence.
Smart, fair operations: Counterterrorism must be based on real intelligence and evidence, with court oversight and respect for human rights.
No targeting of belief: Peaceful religious or political speech, even if very conservative, should not be punished just for its ideas.
No excuses for terror: Violent extremism cannot be justified as “freedom” or as a reaction to past oppression.
Bangladesh has already seen what happens when governments ignore or misuse the terror threat. It cannot afford to let the deadliest form of extremism return.
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