RAB abolished on paper, SRB steps in

Parliament on Thursday passed two bills providing for the abolition of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the formation of a new Special Response Battalion (SRB), while expanding the criminal investigation powers of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), despite strong opposition from lawmakers.
Both bills were passed by voice vote.

The Special Response Battalion Bill, 2026 came under extensive debate, with opposition lawmakers seeking to send it to a select committee for public consultation and further scrutiny.

They also proposed several amendments, but all were rejected by voice vote.

Opposition lawmakers warned that the SRB could effectively become RAB under a different name, particularly because the bill provides for the transfer of RAB’s manpower, assets, funds and records to the new force.

The concern was also reflected in a note of dissent by opposition members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed placed both bills before the House. They were introduced on 3 September and subsequently sent to the parliamentary standing committee for scrutiny.

The committee submitted its report on Wednesday, containing seven points of dissent from opposition members.

Speaking during the third sitting of the 13th National Parliament on Thursday, chaired by Deputy Speaker Barrister Kaisar Kamal, Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman strongly opposed replacing RAB with the SRB.

He argued that dissolving RAB only to establish a similarly structured force under a different name would not meet the expectations of the public or the international community.

“This law should not be passed under any circumstances,” he told Parliament.
Rahman said the overall experience of RAB had been far from satisfactory.

“It had some positive aspects, but the negative side was so overwhelming that it worried the entire world,” he said.

He said many lawmakers themselves had been affected by RAB’s actions.

“I believe there are many victims of RAB’s actions in this House – I am one of them too.

But I am alive. Many others, however, either lost their lives in tragic circumstances or fell victim to enforced disappearance, and no one knows where they are,” he said.

Salahuddin said BNP promised to abolish RAB, and the bill fulfilled that pledge.

Referring to fellow lawmaker Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem, who was a victim of enforced disappearance, and the husband of reserved-seat MP Marzia Begum, Rahman recounted allegations of abuse.

He said Quasem, who had been forcibly disappeared, now sits in Parliament as an elected member, while Begum’s husband, a physician, was allegedly taken from his bedroom at midnight, tortured on a rooftop and thrown alive from the roof.

“His family witnessed this horrific ordeal with their own eyes. Hearing it broke our hearts.

What must it have been like for those who saw it happen – only Allah truly knows,” Rahman said.

‘No one demanded RAB be replaced’
On calls for RAB’s abolition, the opposition leader said demands to disband the force had been raised by political leaders and human rights organisations at home and abroad.

However, he said, no one had demanded that RAB be replaced by another force of the same nature.

“The demand had always simply been for its abolition,” he said.

Rahman argued that the proposed legislation effectively retained the existing force’s structure and capabilities while transferring them to the SRB.

“What we are now seeing is not merely a demand from the government side to build up another force of exactly the same type – a proposal has been brought forward that keeps the force intact in every respect, in the very same place,” he said.

He said RAB had been established under the previous BNP-led government but later became a major source of concern for political parties and civil society.

Rahman said objections to the proposed SRB had emerged across civil society since the bill was made public.

He urged the government not to pass the bill during the current session and instead consult relevant stakeholders.

“We would request that this bill not be passed in this session. Further work should be done with stakeholders. It should be considered more deeply,” he said.

He also urged the government to provide a clearer justification for establishing such a specialised force so that the public could be convinced of its necessity.

What the SRB law provides
Under Section 4 of the new law, a specialised unit called the Special Response Battalion (SRB) will be established under Bangladesh Police, with its headquarters in Dhaka.

The SRB will be formed through the posting or deputation of officers and personnel from the police and other disciplined forces as required by the government.

The force will be headed by a Director General holding at least the rank of Additional Inspector General of Police (Additional IGP). The DG will oversee its administrative, financial and operational affairs.

Sections 10 and 12 set out the SRB’s core responsibilities and powers.

The force will be responsible for maintaining public safety and tackling terrorism, organised crime, cybercrime, enforced disappearance, fraudulent land grabbing, human trafficking and narcotics.

It will have powers to arrest, search and seize evidence in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure.

However, the law says the SRB cannot keep arrested persons or seized evidence in its own custody.

These must be handed over to the nearest police station without delay in accordance with the law.

Officers holding the rank of sub-inspector or above may conduct formal investigations into these offences under directions from a court, the government or the Inspector General of Police.

The law also contains disciplinary and punitive provisions for SRB members.

Negligence of duty, intoxication while on duty, unlawful occupation of property, torture or use of force against people in custody, incitement and disobedience of superior officers’ orders are classified as serious offences.

Depending on the offence, penalties may include dismissal, demotion, compulsory retirement, forfeiture of pay and allowances, reprimand and fines.

A grievance redress committee will also be established to address personal complaints and internal grievances against members of the force.

According to the bill, the SRB is intended to be a modern and efficient force capable of responding quickly to changing forms of crime and emerging security challenges.

The law says the new force has been designed to fill the gap created by RAB’s abolition, with an emphasis on transparency, professionalism and accountability.

RAB’s assets, funds and records to move to SRB
The law provides for a direct institutional transition from RAB to the SRB.
With the law taking immediate effect, all previous legal provisions relating to RAB will stand repealed.

RAB’s assets, bank accounts, funds and records will automatically be transferred to the SRB.

The transfer of RAB’s manpower and institutional resources is one of the key issues that prompted opposition from lawmakers, who argued that the provisions could allow the new force to retain much of RAB’s existing structure and operational character.

APBn gets wider investigation powers
The second bill passed on Thursday expands the criminal investigation powers of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn).

The measure gives APBn officers greater authority to conduct investigations into specified criminal offences, broadening its investigative role beyond its traditional responsibilities as an armed police unit.

The government has argued that strengthening specialised law-enforcement capacity is necessary to respond to changing forms of crime and emerging security threats.

The two bills together mark a major restructuring of Bangladesh’s specialised law-enforcement system: RAB is being abolished, the SRB is being established in its place, and APBn is receiving broader investigative powers.

But for the opposition, the central question remains whether the changes represent a genuine break with RAB’s past or simply a transfer of its institutional machinery to a new force.

With the bills now passed, that debate is likely to shift from Parliament to the implementation of the new law – and to whether the SRB can deliver the transparency, professionalism and accountability promised in its legislation.