RAB replaced, legacy lives on in SRB

After two decades of controversy, allegations of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, and mounting demands for its abolition, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is set to be formally dissolved.

But the proposed replacement — the Special Response Battalion (SRB) — is already facing questions over whether it represents a genuine institutional break or simply RAB in a new form.

The Cabinet on 17 August gave policy and final approval, subject to vetting by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, to the draft Special Response Battalion Act, 2026.

The government says RAB will be abolished and a new specialised police unit will be established to tackle serious and emerging crimes.

The proposed legislation, however, provides for the transfer of RAB’s manpower, powers, authority, benefits, funds, property, accounts, records, liabilities and ongoing cases to SRB. RAB personnel will also become members of the new battalion.

The draft therefore raises questions about how far the proposed dissolution will alter the institutional character of the force.

RAB was established on 26 March 2004 under the Armed Police Battalion (Amendment) Act, 2003, amid concerns over extremism, terrorism and militancy following the “Operation Clean Heart” period.

Personnel were drawn on deputation from the police as well as the army, navy, air force and then-BDR, now Border Guard Bangladesh.

Although the force initially received praise for its role in combating serious crime, it soon became embroiled in allegations of extrajudicial killings and other abuses.

The 2014 Narayanganj seven-murder case and leaked audio surrounding the 2018 killing of Teknaf municipal councillor Ekramul Haque intensified scrutiny of the force.

Human rights organisations have documented hundreds of alleged extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.

The United States imposed sanctions on RAB and several of its senior officials in December 2021.

According to Ain o Salish Kendra, more than 482 people were killed in so-called “gunfights” between 2004 and 2006, while 256 were killed during the 2007-08 caretaker government period. Odhikar put the 2004-06 figure at around 380.

A joint estimate by the Asian Human Rights Commission and Odhikar found that around 395 people went missing between 2009 and 2017, many of whom were later found dead, while others never returned home.

The Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances found that about 25 per cent of the cases it examined involved RAB — the highest proportion attributed to any single force.

Of 40 secret detention centres identified nationwide, 22 to 23 were reportedly linked to RAB.

More recently, 172 of more than 1,600 complaints submitted to the Commission were directly against RAB.

Allegations also emerged that the force had fired on protesters from helicopters during the 2024 mass uprising.

The UN human rights body and the interim government’s reform commission subsequently recommended the force’s complete dissolution.

Under the proposed law, SRB will operate under an Additional Inspector General of Police, with its headquarters in Dhaka.

Its responsibilities will include combating terrorism, militancy, organised crime, drugs, illegal arms and explosives, cybercrime, human trafficking, violence against women and children, rape, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, murder and land grabbing.

The new battalion could also take over investigations into special or complex cases on the orders of a court, the government or the Inspector General of Police.

The draft contains 27 sections, with Section 26 outlining the repeal of the legal provisions that created RAB and the transfer of its institutional assets and responsibilities to SRB.

The proposed force will retain the provision allowing personnel to be recruited on deputation from the armed forces and other disciplined services for at least two years.

SRB members will have powers of entry, search, seizure and arrest under the Code of Criminal Procedure.

They will also have access to detention cells, malkhanas and interrogation rooms.

The law stipulates, however, that arrested suspects and seized evidence must be handed over to the nearest police station without delay.

A proposed Grievance Redress Committee, headed by an Additional Director General and including representatives from the Home Ministry, police headquarters and a human rights expert with at least 10 years’ experience, is intended to investigate complaints and recommend departmental action.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed rejected the suggestion that the government was merely changing RAB’s name.

He said RAB was being dissolved and SRB would be a new battalion designed to meet the state’s requirements while respecting human rights.

He argued that tackling cybercrime, drugs and organised crime required specialised training, equipment, manpower and capabilities.

On military deputation, he said the previous problem was the absence of accountability and transparency and that the new legal framework would prevent political misuse.

Former RAB Director General A K M Shahidur Rahman has acknowledged the force’s crisis of public trust, saying that confidence is undermined when RAB becomes involved in enforced disappearances, killings, crossfire and secret detention centres for political purposes.

Human rights organiser Nur Khan Liton, however, strongly criticised the proposed structure, describing it as “old wine in a new bottle”.

He questioned the retention of military deputation and argued that the draft did not provide sufficient safeguards for independent and impartial investigations into human rights violations.

Former IGP Muhammad Nurul Huda, meanwhile, opposed the complete dissolution of RAB, saying management problems could instead be addressed through greater discipline and control while talking to The New Nation.

Questions also remain over the fate of past cases. RAB DG Ahsan Habib Palash told the New Nation that dissolution of RAB and creation of SRB would not remove individual criminal liability, and legal proceedings against members accused of wrongdoing would continue under the existing judicial process.

Since RAB’s formation, 4,235 members, including 58 officers, have reportedly received minor or major disciplinary punishment. Sixteen members were also recently arrested on extortion charges.

The proposed SRB law seeks to prevent abuses by requiring arrested suspects and seized evidence to be transferred promptly to local police.

Its supporters also argue that military personnel are needed to provide specialised expertise in combating terrorism and militancy, while mandatory training in criminal procedure and human rights would apply to deputed personnel.

Yet the central question remains whether dissolving RAB and transferring its personnel, powers, assets and responsibilities to SRB will amount to genuine reform.

After two decades marked by allegations of killings, disappearances and political misuse, the credibility of SRB will ultimately depend not on its name but on whether the new framework delivers meaningful independence, transparency, accountability and protection of citizens’ rights.