The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is not concerned about the US visa restrictions, RAB's Legal and Media Wing Director Commander Khandaker Al Moin said.
"We are working to create a society free of militants and terrorism. Visa restriction was imposed in December 2021 against 7 senior RAB officers. So, this issue is not new. We are not concerned about it," he said.
The RAB official made the statement while briefing the media at RAB's media center in Karwan Bazar in the capital on Tuesday.
"Since the establishment of RAB, we have been working to create a society free from terrorism. We are carrying on our duties. They are acting on their discretion, we are doing our duty," the official said.
He also said the elite force gets into action if anything sensational happens.
"Even a militant organization like Jamatul Ansar Al Hindal Sharqiya has been uprooted by RAB. We are doing our job," he added.
On Monday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Habibur Rahman echoed the same by saying that the recent US visa restrictions would not impact any visa policies within the DMP, considering it as an internal matter of the US.
On May 24, the United States unveiled a visa policy with the primary aim of safeguarding fair and free elections in Bangladesh.
Then, on September 22, the United States reaffirmed its commitment by announcing its intent to implement visa restrictions on individuals deemed responsible for obstructing the democratic electoral process.
This encompassed individuals from various spheres, including law enforcement, the ruling political parties, and opposition factions.
This move builds upon previous sanctions imposed by the United States in December 2021, which singled out seven officers of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) due to allegations of human rights violations.
Notably among those targeted were the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed and the former director-general (DG) of RAB, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
Additionally, this development opens the possibility of additional individuals, identified as complicit in undermining the electoral process, facing ineligibility for US visas in the future, US Department of State said.
