The government’s plan to rename the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) as the Special Response Battalion (SRB) includes proposed changes to its leadership, command structure, investigative powers, deputation rules and complaint mechanisms.
The nine-page draft law proposes changes to the existing legal framework, including eligibility for leading the force, the tenure of personnel deputed from other agencies, authority to order criminal investigations, and procedures for handling complaints and disciplinary matters.
At RAB’s 22nd founding anniversary on May 18, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the government was not merely considering a change of name.
He said the government had taken an initiative to update RAB’s existing law to make it “up-to-date and world-class” while ensuring professionalism, transparency and accountability among its members. He also confirmed that changing the force’s name was under consideration.
The home minister said police account for 44% of RAB’s manpower, while another 44% come from the armed forces. The remaining personnel are from Ansar, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and civilian employees.
He said the government wanted to establish a modern and professional elite force while upholding human rights. He also said unlawful activities by individual officers could not be attributed to the entire institution.
The government is also considering US sanctions against RAB. Salahuddin said he hoped the United States would reconsider the sanctions if the force were reformed, reorganized or renamed under the new law.
Police-only leadership
RAB is currently part of the Armed Police Battalion. Under the existing law, a police DIG or an officer of equivalent rank from another disciplined force can be assigned responsibility for RAB’s direct control and supervision.
The 2003 amendment added four provisions — Sections 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D — specifically for RAB.
Under Section 7 of the proposed law, the government would appoint the SRB director general from among Additional IGP-level officers serving in Bangladesh Police.
Section 8 places the unit under the general control of the IGP and under the orders and overall supervision of the director general.
Members of the army, navy, air force and other disciplined forces could continue serving in SRB, but officers from those forces would no longer be eligible to become its director general if the draft remains unchanged.
Although the existing law allows officers from other forces to lead RAB, police officers holding the rank of Additional IGP have occupied the post in recent years.
AKM Shahidur Rahman was appointed RAB director general in 2024, followed by Ahsan Habib Palash this year.
SRB to become specialized police unit
RAB currently exists legally within the Armed Police Battalion.
Section 4 of the proposed law would establish SRB directly under Bangladesh Police as a specialized unit, with its headquarters in Dhaka.
Subject to government approval, subordinate units could also be established elsewhere in the country.
Personnel from multiple forces would continue to serve in the unit, while its legal identity and chain of command would be placed under Bangladesh Police.
Multi-force manpower to remain
The government has not proposed removing personnel from the army, navy, air force and other disciplined forces from the force.
The draft, however, introduces a minimum two-year service period for members posted, deputed or temporarily attached to SRB.
If there are sufficient grounds, the director general could recommend through the IGP that a member be returned to their parent force.
The multi-force structure would therefore remain, with a new legal requirement governing the duration of such postings.
Human rights activist Nur Khan Liton has objected to retaining personnel from multiple forces in the structure.
Courts, government and IGP can order investigations
The draft also proposes changes to investigative authority.
Under the current framework, RAB can investigate crimes on government instructions. The 2003 amendment introduced separate provisions governing RAB investigations.
Section 15 of the draft states that a court, the government or the inspector general of police could direct the SRB director general to investigate a criminal offence.
The director general would then assign the investigation to a member holding at least the rank of sub-inspector.
The provision would allow courts, the government and the IGP to direct criminal investigations by SRB.
Duties specified in draft law
Section 10 lists SRB’s responsibilities, including maintaining internal security, collecting intelligence, recovering illegal arms, ammunition and explosives, and combating narcotics, cybercrime, human trafficking and organized crime.
The draft also specifically mentions action against violence against women and children, rape and trafficking.
Many of these responsibilities are already carried out by RAB.
Arrested persons to be handed over to police
Sections 12 and 13 provide powers to enter premises, conduct searches, seize items and make arrests in specified cases. They also allow SRB members, when necessary, to exercise the powers of police officers under the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Section 14 states that when an SRB member arrests a person or seizes evidence, the arrested person and evidence must be handed over or transferred immediately to the nearest police station in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure.
At the same time, Section 15 proposes that SRB maintain its own detention cells, evidence storage facilities and interrogation rooms for investigation purposes.
The draft does not specify separate time limits or detailed conditions for the use of the detention cells.
Five-member complaint committee proposed
Section 22 proposes a five-member complaint redress committee to deal with complaints from citizens and allegations against SRB members.
The committee would include the SRB additional director general, a representative of the Home Ministry, an Additional IGP-level officer from Police Headquarters, the director of legal and media affairs, and a government-nominated person with at least 10 years of experience in human rights, law or judicial administration.
The committee would be able to investigate complaints, initiate inquiries when necessary and recommend action to the relevant authority if there is preliminary evidence supporting a complaint.
Nur Khan has questioned the independence of the proposed mechanism.
Speaking to Bangla Tribune, he said that although the name was changing, a large part of the old structure would remain.
“Under no circumstances is it right to create a security shield for citizens by involving members of the army, navy, air force or other forces in law enforcement agencies,” he said.
He also questioned whether the proposed complaint redress mechanism would be genuinely independent.
Changes proposed in discipline and immunity
The draft lists several acts as disciplinary offences, including misconduct, abuse of power, following unlawful orders, torture and other wrongful conduct.
It also provides for preliminary inquiries and departmental action.
Until new rules are introduced, existing RAB court procedures and departmental proceedings could continue with necessary adaptations.
The draft also differs from the existing law on legal immunity. The existing law provides separate legal protection for actions carried out in “good faith” while performing official duties, while the nine-page SRB draft does not contain a similar standalone indemnity or immunity provision.
However, officials involved in the process said this should not be interpreted as meaning that all forms of legal protection would be removed.
RAB’s legal framework to continue
The draft does not propose abolishing RAB and creating an entirely new force.
Under its repeal and savings provisions, RAB’s assets, rights, liabilities, records, contracts, ongoing activities, investigations and cases would continue under SRB.
Existing rules, orders and proceedings could also remain in force with necessary adaptations.
The proposal would retain much of RAB’s existing manpower and operational structure while changing its leadership, legal identity, investigative authority, deputation periods and complaint mechanisms.
The government says the new law is intended to make the force more professional, transparent and accountable.