Former 2 MPs’ teenage gangs run under shelter of ‘Big Brothers’

Approximately 40 to 50 teenage gangs are currently active in Jashore city and its surrounding areas. Each group has an average of eight to 16 members and are generally aged between 14 and 21, data provided by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and police showed these.

Their activities are particularly prevalent in Palbari, Dharmatala, Shankarpur, Bezpara, Raypara Tulotola, Shashtitala, Kharaki, Railgate, Chanchra, Barandipara, Monihar, Nilganj, Bokchar and Upashahar areas of the city, as well as Murali Khanpara, Hamidpur, Shekhhati and Pulerhat on the outskirts.

According to locals, the activities of teenage gangs did not emerge suddenly. They have gradually taken their present alarming form over more than a decade.

For a long time, Jashore had small groups of followers of area-based “big brothers” or political cadres. However, after 2012, as the use of smartphones and social media increased, teenagers began organising themselves into small groups.

At the time, their main activities involved riding motorcycles in groups, harassing girls and getting involved in fights over trivial matters.

Following the 2017 murder of Adnan Kabir by a teenage gang in Uttara, Dhaka, the term “teenage gang” gained widespread attention. Teenagers in different areas of Jashore also became increasingly attracted to gang culture.

Teenage gangs are no longer confined to minor disputes or eve-teasing. They are now becoming involved in serious crimes.

Information obtained from the administration and various other sources shows that more than 50 murders took place in Jashore in 2023, over 100 in 2024, 60 in 2025 and 20 in the first five months of 2026.

The administration has stated on various occasions, including through press briefings, that evidence was found of direct involvement of teenage gangs in most of these killings.

Analysis of available information has also found that teenage gang members are involved in a large number of other crimes, including theft, robbery, mugging, extortion and rape.

While running a medicine shop named Jaman Pharmacy, left behind by his father on MM Ali Road in the city, Shaheen Chakladar joined the Awami League in 2003. That same year, he became a member of the district convening committee.

He then entered the contracting business. To everyone's surprise, he secured the position of general secretary in the next committee of the district Awami League.

To establish dominance in both the contracting business and politics, he began nurturing criminals.

At the time, muscle-based politician Shaheen Chakladar wielded enormous influence over the local administration. Whenever a criminal was arrested, he could reportedly secure the person's release within a short time.

This “culture of impunity” made teenagers even more reckless. It made life miserable for ordinary people in Jashore and pushed many teenagers towards criminal activities.

Meanwhile, to everyone's surprise again, businessman Kazi Nabil Ahmed was elected MP from Jashore-3 (Sadar) constituency in the 2014 election, seemingly emerging out of nowhere.

He was also elected an Awami League MP in the 2018 and 2024 elections. He subsequently became Shaheen Chakladar's main political rival.

In their bid to establish dominance in both contracting and politics, Shaheen Chakladar became increasingly dependent on criminal elements.

Two former councillors of Jashore Municipality and a Union Parishad chairman—all Awami League leaders—reportedly coordinated Shaheen Chakladar's activities with criminals.

Kazi Nabil Ahmed was not sitting idle either. To compete with Shaheen Chakladar and survive politically, he too became dependent on criminal elements and built a rival criminal force, most of whose members were teenagers.

Shaheen Chakladar, who had become virtually unstoppable, was elected MP from the Jashore-6 (Keshabpur) constituency in a by-election after Awami League MP and then State Minister for Public Administration Ismat Ara Sadek died on January 21, 2020.

Locals say the criminals nurtured by the two politicians began recruiting teenagers to expand their respective groups.

Teenage criminals started becoming increasingly reckless around 2017-18. Essentially, they say, Jashore's teenage gang culture is a product of the crime-dependent politics of Shaheen Chakladar and Kazi Nabil.

The gangs have now become a threat to the lives, property and dignity of the people of Jashore.

According to members of Jashore's civil society, after the fall of the Awami League government in the mass uprising on August 5, 2024, the two controversial MPs and all the senior leaders of the district Awami League, as well as people posing as leaders, went into hiding.

But the teenage gangs and other criminal groups have not been left without “big brothers.” Only the “big brothers” have changed.

“Big brothers” and politicians use criminals, including teenage gang members, to accomplish their objectives and provide them with shelter as well as administrative and legal protection.

As a result, the gangs have little regard for the administration. Although law enforcement agencies sometimes take considerable risks to arrest them, they are reportedly released on bail within a few days.

After being released, they return to criminal activities.

Advocate Mahmud Hasan Bulu, general secretary of the Jashore District Shilpakala Academy, told Asia Post that teenage gangs have become a major concern for the people of Jashore.

“There is almost a gang in every neighbourhood, and they are being nurtured under the patronage of one political leader or another. In some areas, they also work as police informants. As a result, they have become virtually unstoppable. Unless initiatives are taken to control them, we will not be able to live peacefully in Jashore,” he said.

At an exchange-of-views meeting, Khulna Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mostafizur Rahman said strict instructions had been given to the police superintendents of every district in the Khulna division to crack down on teenage gangs.

He said instructions had also been issued to increase intelligence surveillance, conduct regular drives and undertake awareness programmes involving parents to prevent juvenile crime.

He further said teenage gangs were becoming a major threat to society.

“The gangs will be identified quickly and legal action will be taken against them. They will not be given any concessions under any circumstances,” he said.

Jashore Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Operations) Mirajul Islam told Asia Post that police are taking a strict stance against the activities of teenage gangs.

“Family, social environment and drug abuse also contribute to teenagers becoming involved in crime. Therefore, keeping them away from criminal activities requires not only law enforcement but also collective efforts by families and society,” he said.

“If anyone engages in terrorism, drug-related activities, mugging or creates disorder under the guise of being a member of a teenage gang, legal action will be taken against them,” he added.

Jashore Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ashik Hasan said the district had been declared free of teenage gangs.

He told Asia Post, “In the past, criminals operated under political patronage, but there is currently no government interference. This has made the administration's work easier.”