RAB to stay despite widespread calls for disbandment

Despite repeated recommendations from the United Nations and various rights groups, political parties and organisations to disband the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) over allegations of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations, the government is now considering retaining the force.

However, it remains unclear how the activities of the elite unit — which has been largely keeping a low profile since the July mass uprising — will proceed in the future.

Speaking to newspersons on Monday after a programme marking RAB’s 22nd founding anniversary, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the government was working to build a modern and professional elite force that would fully uphold human rights and meet public expectations.

However, he did not elaborate on what reforms, if any, would be introduced to the force’s structure.

Following the fall of the Awami League government during the July mass uprising, scrutiny over RAB’s past conduct intensified. On 5 January this year, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances revealed that nearly 25 per cent of all disappearance cases investigated involved RAB, the highest share attributed to any single force.

The commission also found that 22 or 23 out of 40 secret detention facilities identified across the country had been operated by RAB.

Documents from the Special Branch (SB) of Police, reviewed by Prothom Alo, showed that 1,293 people were killed in 1,007 so-called “crossfire” incidents between 2015 and 2021. Analysis of the records found that police were involved in 651 of those incidents, while RAB was implicated in 293. Another 10 incidents involved joint operations by police, RAB, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and other forces.

Over the past two decades, Bangladesh has faced its sharpest domestic and international criticism over enforced disappearances and crossfire killings. Statistics compiled by local and international organisations show that RAB’s name surfaced most frequently in connection with both types of abuses.

In this context, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances recommended disbanding RAB after the July uprising. Earlier this year, rights organisations including Human Rights Watch also called for the force to be dismantled.

Previously, on 10 December, 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on seven current and former RAB officials over alleged human rights violations.

The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), during the tenure of the interim government, had itself demanded the dissolution of RAB at a press conference on 10 December 2024.

Ironically, it was the BNP-led government that originally established the elite force in March 2004, drawing personnel from the police, army, navy, air force, BGB, coast guard and Ansar.

RAB first gained prominence after several top criminals, including notorious Dhaka gangster Picchi Hannan, and a number of extremist militants in the southwest were killed in so-called crossfire incidents.

Sources familiar with the matter said that in its early years RAB primarily targeted high-profile criminals and violent extremists. Over time, however, the force increasingly became entangled in political, financial and personal disputes, and was allegedly used by influential actors to suppress opponents. RAB also became implicated in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

One of the most notorious examples was the Narayanganj seven-murder case of 27 April 2014, in which 11 RAB personnel, including then commander of RAB-11, Lieutenant Colonel Tareque Sayeed, were accused of involvement after allegedly accepting money from local councillor Nur Hossain.

After the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government, RAB formally apologised for such incidents on 12 December 2024. Then RAB director general AKM Shahidur Rahman told a press conference, “We express our regret and apologise to all those who were tortured, persecuted or harmed by RAB members since the force was formed, and to the families of those killed by RAB, including the victims of the Narayanganj seven-murder case.”

He also acknowledged the existence of secret detention centres, known as “Aynaghar,” during the Awami League era.

Against this backdrop, calls for disbanding RAB resurfaced strongly. On 5 April this year, current RAB director general Ahsan Habib Palash told a discussion that any decision regarding the future of RAB rested with the government, while the force’s duty was to continue carrying out its responsibilities.

Human rights activist Mohammad Nur Khan believes that even if RAB is not dissolved, its current structure must be fundamentally changed.

Speaking to Prothom Alo yesterday, Monday, he argued that military personnel should no longer be deployed in routine law enforcement. Instead, he said, specialised units could be developed from within civilian law enforcement agencies such as the police through proper training.

Nur Khan said allegations of human rights abuses against RAB have persisted for years. “Those who once cooperated with RAB later imposed sanctions after evaluating its human rights record,” he noted. “If reforms are to be meaningful, issues such as the force’s structure, accountability, legal boundaries and human rights safeguards must be clearly defined in law.”

At the BNP press conference demanding RAB’s dissolution on 10 December 2024, the party’s then standing committee member and incumbent Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad said, “RAB has become internationally condemned… and in this country, RAB has effectively become a monster. Most of the killings, disappearances and extrajudicial killings were carried out through this force. That is why we recommended abolishing it.”

He had also argued that dissolving the force, rather than reforming it, would send a positive message to the public.

Now that BNP is in government, questions are emerging over what position it will take. Human rights advocates say political parties in Bangladesh have historically criticised RAB while in opposition, only to adopt a different stance after assuming power.

Rights groups both at home and abroad had already raised concerns about RAB during the BNP-led four-party alliance government that created the force.

After coming to power in 2009, the Awami League government was advised by Human Rights Watch to abolish RAB, but instead expanded its use in controversial operations.

In 2014, proposals were even made to place RAB directly under the home ministry instead of police headquarters, although the move was never implemented.

At present, the force’s 15 battalions are overseen by a director general holding the rank of additional inspector general of police.

Despite growing demands for abolition during the interim government period, RAB ultimately remained intact. The force was established under the Armed Police Battalion (Amendment) Act, 2003.

Section 13 of the law provides immunity, stating that no member of the force can face civil, criminal or other legal proceedings for actions carried out in “good faith” under the act.

The final report of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances recommended repealing this immunity provision and bringing all security forces under strict legal accountability. However, no such steps have yet been taken. Discussions about enacting a separate law governing RAB have also failed to progress.

A committee chaired by retired Lieutenant General Abdul Hafiz, who served as special assistant on defence and national integration development to the then chief adviser of the interim government, had also been formed to consider restructuring RAB. The committee recommended renaming the force the “Special Intervention Force” or SIF, a proposal reportedly approved by the chief adviser at the time. The home ministry had also spoken of changing RAB uniforms and reforming its operations, but none of those initiatives were ultimately implemented.

Amid the ongoing debate, RAB’s operational activities have also slowed significantly. Major drives have declined over the past five years, including operations related to arms recovery, organised crime, robbery and piracy.

Officials from different levels within the force told Prothom Alo that RAB’s activities are now largely confined to routine operations, with an emphasis on avoiding any new controversy surrounding the organisation.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), after investigating alleged human rights violations committed in Bangladesh between 1 July and 15 August 2024, published a report on 12 February last year highlighting RAB’s use of force and arrests during the student-led uprising. The report recommended dismantling the force.

People familiar with the matter say the government now needs to clearly state its position on RAB. If the force is to be abolished, that decision should be announced transparently. If it is to remain, the government should clarify how it will function, whether reforms will be introduced, and what form those reforms will take. Failure to act quickly, they warn, could further damage the government’s image both domestically and internationally.

Commenting on the home minister’s remarks, former head of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury told Prothom Alo yesterday that key questions remain unresolved — including what legal framework RAB would operate under, whether it would consist solely of police personnel or continue as a composite force involving multiple agencies.

If such an elite force is retained, it should be formed only with skilled police personnel, he said. Maintaining law and order is fundamentally the professional responsibility of the police. The name ‘RAB’ itself has already become associated with controversy and fear both at home and abroad. That is why changing the name may also become necessary, he added.