On June 29, 2026, eight people were injured in a clash between leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and its student’s body Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), in the Jundah Bazar area of the Barisal Union in the Palashbari Sub-District of Gaibandha District.
On June 11, 2026, a clash took place between BNP and JeI leaders and activists over the occupation of a commercial area in the Chhota Shimultala paan market of the Palashbari Municipality in the Palashbari Sub-District of Gaibandha District.
On June 2, 2026, BNP worker Rana Mia was stabbed to death by Mohammad Mahin, the son of a JeI leader, Mofidul Islam, at Madhyapara village in Char Ishwardia, Mymensingh District. Mofidul Islam is a member of the executive committee of the Mymensingh Metropolitan Jamaat.
On May 20, 2026, three people were injured in a clash between BNP and JeI leaders and activists in the Purbadhala Sub-District of Netrokona District, over the leasing of temporary Qurbani (Eid-ul-Azha) cattle markets.
On May 17, 2026, clashes took place between the Chhatra Dal, the BNP’s students wing, and ICS-backed students at the Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) campus in Gazipur District, over the appointment of Professor Mohammad Iqbal of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology as the new Vice-Chancellor (VC) of DUET. At least 20 people from both sides, as well as the Police, were injured in the clash.
On April 23, 2026, cocktail bomb explosions occurred, along with clashes and chases, between leaders and activists of Chhatra Dal and ICS, over dominance at the Ishwardi Government College in Pabna District. Several people, including Ishwardi Government College Chhatra Dal President Khalid Bin Parthib, were injured.
On April 21, 2026, a clash occurred between leaders and activists of Chhatra Dal and ICS at Government City College in Chittagong District, injuring at least 20 people.
On March 31, 2026, there was an incident of shooting at the house of Mohammad Mohsin, General Secretary of the Chittagong South District Chhatra Dal, in the Kanchana area of Satkania Sub-District in Chittagong District, led by Abu Taher, the JeI Chief of the Union.
The latest monthly report of the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), released on July 2, 2026, for the month of June 2026, noted that nine people were killed and 346 injured in 58 incidents of political violence across the country in June, among which eight BNP-Jamaat clashes killed two people and injured 36.
Apart from violent clashes with BNP members and its student’s body, the Jamaat has continued with its process of consolidation as a potent socio-political and religious body.
As reported on May 20, 2026, Jamaat is stepping up the activities of its youth unit across Bangladesh, to strengthen its organisational base among young people and increase their involvement in political and social initiatives. As part of this effort, Jamaat reconstituted the committee of its Dhaka North Metropolitan Youth Unit on May 19, 2026. Within Jamaat, however, members of ICS traditionally move directly into the parent party after their student years. As a result, party activists have long argued for expanding the role of the youth unit as an intermediate platform for the entry of young people into the party.
Earlier, Jamaat backed organisations did win a number of crucial university elections, showcasing the party’s successful youth outreach. On September 10, 2025, in the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election, the ICS-backed United Students’ Alliance secured 23 out of 28 seats. On September 16, 2025, ICS won its second significant victory in the Jahangirnagar University Central Student Union polls, securing 20 of 25 seats. In the Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (CUCSU) election on October 15, 2025, the ICSp-backed panel won 24 out of 26 posts, including Vice President and General Secretary. On October 16, 2025, in the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU) election, the ICS-backed panel swept the polls, securing 20 out of 23 central posts, including the Vice President and General Secretary positions.
It is useful to recall that, following the results of the 13th National Elections, declared on February 13, 2026, the Jamaat’s altered position in Bangladeshi politics became dangerously prominent. Once a marginal parliamentary force, the Jamaat emerged as the main opposition. Out of 297 results declared, the BNP-led alliance won 212, with BNP alone winning 209 seats, and the Gano Odhikar Parishad, the Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) and the Ganosamhati Andolan securing one seat each. The Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance secured 77 seats, with JeI winning 68, the National Citizen Party (NCP) six, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis two, and Khelafat Majlis one. Crucially, nearly 39 per cent of Jamaat’s victories, or 26 seats in total, came from BNP and Awami League strongholds, 14 in BNP bastions and 12 in Awami League citadels.
Moreover, the Jamaat’s central leadership questioned this result and tried to provoke public outrage over alleged rigging. In one such statement, on June 20, 2026, JeI Chief Shafiqur Rahman alleged widespread irregularities in the national election:
We don’t want disorder in the country… With immense pain in our hearts, we accepted the election results. But let no one think that we accepted them out of fear; we did so to prevent the country from descending into a civil war… We will not be intimidated by anyone’s threats. We will not bow to injustice. Our leaders, even in defeat, stood on the gallows with quiet smiles and taught us that, if necessary, we must be prepared to sacrifice ourselves for the nation.
Further, trivializing the Jamaat’s role in the 1971 genocide, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, in the full text of a verdict as reported on May 12, 2026, voiced ‘repentance’ over its earlier judgment, which had upheld the conviction and death sentence of Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam (now the elected lawmaker from Rangpur-2) in a case filed over crimes against humanity committed during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War. The verdict stated,
This Division [Appellate Division] acknowledges, with a profound sense of judicial responsibility, that in its earlier adjudication, it failed to give due and dispassionate consideration to the evidentiary deficiencies and the broader context in which the allegations of crimes against humanity were framed against the appellant… The earlier judgement regrettably fell short of the high standards of scrutiny and fairness mandated in criminal proceedings of such grave nature.
This verdict is a complete reversal of the non-negotiable approach of the Awami League government with respect to the 1971 War Crimes. 50 Jamaat leaders had been indicted by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War. Among these, prominent leaders were convicted and hanged, including JeI politician Abdul Quader Mollah (hanged in 2013), Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami (hanged in 2016) and JeI Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mujaheed (hanged in 2015). Ghulam Azam was sentenced to 90 years in prison, while Delawar Hossain Sayedee’s death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Both died while serving their jail terms.
Since its political resurgence, the Jamaat is trying to assert itself in the financial sector in Bangladesh. On May 25, 2026, JeI criticised the appointment of a new Chairman at the Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL), accusing the government of undue interference. JeI Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar declared that a series of reckless decisions by the government were putting the country’s banking system and financial sector at risk. Golam Porwar further stated that the newly appointed Chairman was a “known associate of the fugitive Awami fascists… Appointing such a person is akin to inviting disaster.” Earlier, on April 13, Jamaat Chief, Shafiqur Rahman accused BNP of destabilising institutions, including the Bangladesh Bank and alleged that BNP had abandoned reform commitments and was attempting to re-establish “fascism”. Historically, IBBL and Jamaat had an association, as Mir Quasem Ali (a senior Jamaat leader, former President of ICS, and a notorious Al-Badr commander) was the founding Vice Chairman of IBBL in the year 1983.
On June 9, 2026, Jamaat presented a BDT 839.505 billion ‘Shadow Budget’ to assert that the BNP government’s approach suffered from corruption, political patronage, and weak financial management. Such a move is unprecedented in Bangladesh. The ‘Shadow Budget’ was presented by Jamaat’s Dhaka-12 MP, Saiful Alam Khan Milon, at an event titled “People-Oriented Budget Proposal 2026-2027”, held at Al-Falah Auditorium in Dhaka city’s Moghbazar area. The main aim of the ‘Shadow Budget’ was to challenge the ruling BNP-led government, portraying its budget as less people-friendly while positioning Jamaat’s vision as more equitable and reform-oriented. Later, on June 12, 2026, Jamaat’s Secretary General, Mia Golam Porwar outlined the party’s formal position, warning that a lack of good governance and accountability would increase corruption, waste of resources and misuse of public funds.
In Bangladesh’s current political scenario, JeI is determined to expand its influence, to consolidate support and dominate the political narrative, even as liberal and democratic voices face progressive marginalization.
