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Opposition lawmakers walked out of the Jatiya Sangsad on Sunday in protest against the proposed National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Bill, 2026, alleging that it creates separate rules for investigating human rights violations by ordinary citizens and state forces.
The opposition MPs, including Jamaat-e-Islami lawmakers, left the House at around 8:10pm shortly before the bill was placed.
Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman said the proposed legislation does not give the NHRC uniform authority to investigate rights violations.
He argued that while the commission could directly investigate violations by ordinary citizens, cases involving state forces would require the concerned force to respond first.
If the initial response is absent or deemed unsatisfactory, further steps would be required before the commission could launch an investigation, he said.
“There cannot be dual application of law,” Shafiqur said, arguing that state forces are also made up of citizens and should be subject to the same legal standards.
He said the government had failed to meet its commitment to introduce stronger legislation and announced that opposition lawmakers would not participate in the bill’s passage.
Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman rejected the criticism, saying the government had significantly strengthened the proposed law.
He said the opposition had left before hearing the provisions that, in his view, made the bill stronger than similar laws in other South Asian countries.
The NHRC Bill is part of a broader legislative effort to reform Bangladesh’s human rights framework.
The government has also proposed the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Bill, 2026.
Opposition lawmakers have previously boycotted parliamentary committee discussions on the NHRC Bill, alleging inadequate consultation and arguing that the proposed legislation weakens the commission’s powers.
