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Rapid Action Battalion ( bn, র‍্যাপিড অ্যাকশন ব্যাটালিয়ন, Ra‍yāpiḍa ayākaśana byāṭāliẏana; abbreviated as RAB) is an anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police. This elite force consists of members of the Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force, Police,
Border Guard A border guard of a country is a national security agency that performs border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Federal Police (Germany), Germany, Guardia di Finanza, Italy or State Border Gua ...
, and the
Bangladesh Ansar The Bangladesh Ansar (also known as the Ansar Bahini) is a paramilitary auxiliary force responsible for the preservation of internal security and law enforcement in Bangladesh. It is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government ...
. It was formed on 26 March 2004 as RAT ( Rapid Action Team), and commenced operations on 14 April 2004. The Rapid Action Battalion has faced criticism from
human rights groups A human rights group, or human rights organization, is a non-governmental organization which advocates for human rights through identification of their violation, collecting incident data, its analysis and publication, promotion of public awareness ...
for their use of
extrajudicial killing An extrajudicial killing (also known as extrajudicial execution or extralegal killing) is the deliberate killing of a person without the lawful authority granted by a judicial proceeding. It typically refers to government authorities, whether ...
s and alleged involvement in forced disappearances. It is estimated that between 2004 and 2008 RAB had killed 1,062 people.


History


2003–2008

The Rapid Action Battalion was formed on 12 July 2003 under the Armed Police Battalion (Amendment) Act, 2003. The act was passed through the amendment of the Armed Forces Battalion Ordinance 1979 which provides immunity to RAB officers for actions taken in the course of their duty. Each battalion of Rapid Action Battalion is commanded by Additional Deputy Inspector General rank officer or its equivalent in other forces. RAB cannot file cases with courts themselves but must be forward the cases to Bangladesh Police who will file the case with the court. RAB is composed of personnel from Bangladesh military and law enforcement agencies who return to their own units after service with RAB ends. RAB replaced the short lived Rapid Action Team (RAT) which was formed in January 2003. RAB has faced criticism for alleged extrajudicial killings from its formation. In an editorial on 23 July 2004 ''The Daily Star'' wrote "reign it in before it turns into a ABidmonster." RAB was provided weapons seized from
10-Truck Arms and Ammunition Haul in Chittagong The incident of the 10-Truck Arms and Ammunition Haul took place in Chattogram, Bangladesh, on the night of 1 April 2004, when police and Coast Guard interrupted the loading of ten trucks and seized extensive illegal arms and ammunition at a jett ...
on 16 April 2004. RAB has a media centre in Karwan Bazar. On 15 July 2004, RAB arrested Sumon Ahmed Majumder, a Jubo League leader and garment trader, in Tongi. He died within 10 hours of being arrested from torture at RAB headquarters in Uttara. He was a witness to the murder of Ahsanullah Master, member of parliament from Awami League. Police claimed he died while resisting arrest while RAB claimed he was lynched by the general public. Police refused to take a complaint from his father. On 30 May 2005, RAB arrested Abul Kalam Azad Sumon, a tailor and Bangladesh Chhattra League activist, from Dhaka along with two others. He was killed soon after. He had been shot six times and his body showed signs of torture. According to his mother, Sumon had switched from Bangladesh Nationalist Party to Awami League which angered his local member of parliament
Mirza Abbas Mirza Abbas Uddin Ahmed, known as Mirza Abbas, (born 7 February 1951) is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and a member of the national standing committee of the party. He was the Mayor of Dhaka City Corporation from 1991 to 1993. He was ...
. On 8 March 2006, RAB detained Md. Masudur Rahman, a businessman and activist of Jubo League, from Dhaka. His body was found with signs of torture and bullet wounds the next day. On 24 January 2007, journalist Jahangir Alam Akash was detained and tortured by RAB-5 in Rajshahi by Major Rashidul Hassan Rashid. On 15 July 2008, Moshiul Alam Sentu of Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal was detained by Rapid Action Battalion from Dhaka and his body was found the next day in a paddy field in Barisal. According to RAB he died in a crossfire; his body showed signs of torture. Dr. Mizanur Rahman Tutul, leader of the insurgent Purbo Banglar Communist Party, was detained on 26 July and his body was recovered the next day.


2009–2018

Shafique Ahmed, Minister of Law, defended RAB to Human Rights Watch by saying RAB only killed criminals in 2009. On 28 May, Moshin Sheikh, and Ali Jinnah, students of
Dhaka Polytechnic Institute Dhaka Polytechnic Institute ( bn, ঢাকা পলিটেকনিক ইনস্টিটিউট, also known as DPI) is a government technical institute in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the largest and the oldest polytechnic academia in moder ...
, were killed in a crossfire by RAB. On 22 October, F. M. Masum, a reporter of the New Age, was beaten after he hesitated to open the door for plainclothes RAB officers who were assaulting his landlord's wife. The officers had said he deserved to beaten for working for
Nurul Kabir Nurul Kabir ( bn, নূরুল কবির) is a Bangladeshi journalist, writer, columnist, editor, and activist. He is the editor of the outspoken Bangladeshi newspaper, ''New Age'' and the editor of the Bengali weekly ''Budhbar''. ''Nairbac ...
, editor of the New Age. Bangladesh Air Force Officer Anisur Rahman, on deputation to RAB, was found guilty of torture by RAB's own internal investigation; he was sent back to the air force and no further action was taken. RAB-1 led by Flight Lieutenant Raihan Asgar Khan killed Kaiser Mahmud Bappi in a crossfire. On 13 November, Lutfar Rahman Khalashi, and Khairul Huq Khalashi, two brothers and businessmen, were detained by RAB from Narayanganj District. Their family organized a press conference and protest asking they not be killed in a crossfire. They were killed in a crossfire on 16 November. Bangladesh High Court expressed concern over the death of the two brothers. On 3 February, Mohiuddin Arif, a technician at Apollo Hospital Dhaka was detained and tortured in custody by RAB. He later died from his injuries. Azad Hussein Pappu, and Abdus Sattar were detained on 27 February and killed the next in a crossfire by RAB on 28 February 2010. On 22 March 2010, Bangladesh Police stopped a photo exhibition on deaths by RAB at
Drik Picture Library Drik Picture Library is a photography agency and picture library based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Background Drik Picture Library was established in 1989 by Bangladeshi writer and photographer Shahidul Alam and Bangladeshi writer and anthropolog ...
by Shahidul Alam. Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, a salesman and member of extremist Allah-r Dol, was forcible disappeared by RAB in February. RAB detained the Asian Human Rights Commission representative, William Gomes, and tortured him at their headquarters on 21 May 2011. Limon Hossain, a 16-year-old student of Jhalakati College, was shot by RAB and had to have his leg amputated on 23 March 2011. Hossain was assaulted by informants of RAB on 20 August 2012. Rasal Ahmed Bhutto, was detained on 3 March and killed in a crossfire a week later. On 4 November 2011, Colonel Zulfiqar Ali Majumder led members of his unit, Rapid Action Battalion-7, to Talsara Darbar Sharif and robbed the compound keeping the pir at gunpoint. They stole 27 million BDT from the shrine. Four months later, a driver of the shrine sued 10 members of Rapid Action Battalion and two informants for the robbery. On 5 March 2012, RAB told Mohammad Imam Hassan's family members that they rescued him and demanded a bribe for his release. Despite a bribe being paid, he has not been seen since then. On 11 May 2013, Mohammad Fokhrul Islam, a businessman, was the victim of enforced disappearance by RAB. His family members were warned by RAB with enforced disappearance not to talk about the issue. On 27 November 2013,
Saiful Islam Hiru Saiful Islam Hiru is a Bangladeshi politician from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and a former Member of Parliament. CareerRokibul Saiful Islam Hiru was elected to Parliament from Comilla-10 in 1988 representing Laksham. He is the president ...
, former Bangladesh Nationalist Party member of parliament, and Mohammad Humayun Kabir Parvez, Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician, disappeared after being detained by RAB led by Lieutenant Colonel Tareque Sayeed. RAB was involved in the enforced disappearance of Adnan Chowdhury, Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician, on 5 December. The police refused to take a case from Chowdhury's father which mentioned RAB. In Narayganj, rogue RAB-11 officers led by Lieutenant Colonel Tareque Sayeed abducted and killed seven men in April 2014. On 10 March 2015, RAB vehicle was seen when Salahuddin Ahmed, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, leader was victim of enforced disappearance by law enforcement agencies. In March 2017, Intelligence Wing chief Lieutenant Colonel Abul Kalam Azad was killed in a bomb blast in
Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...
while raiding an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant hideout.


2018–2023

In May 2018, Squadron Leader Mohammad Rezaul Haque led a RAB unit in Cox's Bazar that Killed Ekramul Haque, Tekhnaf Municipality councilor and Awami League leader in an alleged crossfire. His death was recorded as he had called his wife and she recorded the call which disproved RAB's claims. It resulted in the United States using the Magnitsky Act against seven former and current officers of RAB; the first usage against Bangladesh. RAB detained three business partners of Major General
Tarique Ahmed Siddique Tarique Ahmed Siddique, rcds, psc is a retired major general of Bangladesh Army and the Defence and Security adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. Personal life Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique is the younger b ...
, defence advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in January 2019. One of whom, retired Army captain Johirul Haque Khandaker, died eight months later in custody. Human Rights Watch described the detention the result of a business dispute. A cyber unit of RAB-3 identified Ahmed Kabir Kishore, Mushtaq Ahmed, Didarul Bhuiyan, activist, and Minhaz Mannan Emon as targets for publishing cartoons critical of the government and charged under the
Digital Security Act The Digital Security Act, 2018 is a digital security law in Bangladesh. This act was passed with the aim of preventing the spread of racism; sectarianism; extremism; terrorist propaganda; and hatred against religious or ethnic minorities through soc ...
in May 2020. They had been victims of enforced disappearance before being officially detained. Ahmed died in custody where Kishore alleged they were tortured. In 2021,
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
released a documentary called '' All the Prime Minister's Men'' in which the brother of the then Chief of Army, General Aziz Ahmed, bragged about RAB as his personal gangsters and thugs who make money for him and them through detentions. In 2021, RAB manufactured and started using OIVS device to nab criminals. In August 2022, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Ismail Hossain, air wing director, died after being injured in a helicopter crash. On 30 September, Director General of RAB,
Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun is a Bangladeshi police officer and the current Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Bangladesh Police since 30 September 2022. Previously he served as Director General of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). He was made the ...
, was promoted and appointed Inspector General of Bangladesh Police. Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was under sanctions of the United States for human rights abuse. In 2023,
Deutsche Welle Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave" in English), abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite television service con ...
published a documentary titled "'' Inside the Death Squad''," which delved into the allegations of human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings committed by the RAB.


Location

RAB also has 15 battalion size field units spread all over the country. Among them, 5 are located in the capital Dhaka. The units are located as follows: * RAB-HQ : Kurmitola, Dhaka * RAB-1 : Uttara, Dhaka * RAB-2 : Agargaon, Dhaka * RAB-3 : Tikatuli, Dhaka * RAB-4 :
Mirpur, Dhaka Mirpur ( bn, মীরপুর/মিরপুর) is a ''thana'' of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. It is bounded by Pallabi Thana to the north, Mohammadpur Thana to the south, Kafrul to the east, and Savar Upazila to the west. History Mirpur thana ...
* RAB-5 : Rajshahi * RAB-6 :
Khulna Khulna ( bn, খুলনা, ) is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is the administrative centre of Khulna District and Khulna Division. Khulna's economy is the third-largest in Bangladesh, contributing $53 b ...
* RAB-7 :
Chattogram Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
* RAB-8 :
Barishal Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Dist ...
* RAB-9 :
Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...
* RAB-10 : Jatrabari, Dhaka * RAB-11 :
Narayanganj Narayanganj ( bn, নারায়ণগঞ্জ ''Naraeongônj'') is a city in central Bangladesh. It is in the Narayanganj District, about southeast of the capital city of Dhaka, and has a population of about 2 million. It is the 6th larges ...
* RAB-12 : Sirajganj, Tangail * RAB-13 : Rangpur * RAB-14 : Mymensingh * RAB-15 :
Cox's Bazar Cox's Bazar (; bn, কক্সবাজার, Kôksbajar; ) is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and district headquarters in Southeastern Bangladesh. It is located south of the city of Chittagong. Cox's Bazar is also known by the na ...


Activities

Main activities and types of work done by RAB are: Counter-Terrorism: RAB apprehended numerous terrorism suspects during the course of their tenure. Anti drugs: RAB has been involved in the control of illegal substances such as ya ba, phensedyl and
heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
. Emergency help: RAB provides immediate response for situations such as armed robbery and kidnappings. National common or annual needs: Many national needs are filled by RAB by providing extra duty during Eid-ul-Fitr, Puja, world Ijtema, and Akheri Munazat, among other events. They also contribute resources during elections, such as the Narayangonj City Corporation Election.


Ranks and insignia

Because RAB is composed of officers and troops from Bangladesh Police and
Bangladesh Armed Forces The Bangladesh Armed Forces ( bn, বাংলাদেশ সশস্ত্র বাহিনী, Bangladesh Sashastra Bahinī) are the Armed forces, combined military forces of the Bangladesh, People's Republic of Bangladesh. It consists ...
, it was necessary to attribute a common rank insignia to the RAB badges. Such insignia can be seen in the illustrations below.


List of Director Generals


Notable arrests

The following is a table containing details of major arrests by the RAB according to their official website:


Criticisms

Although the RAB has been successful in apprehending several high-profile terrorists, including the infamous
Bangla Bhai Siddique ul-Islam ( bn, সিদ্দিকুল ইসলাম ''Siddikul Islam''), known popularly as Bangla Bhai (বাংলা ভাই "Bengali Brother") (1970 – 30 March 2007), also known as Jawad uddin attari ( bn, আজিজ ...
, Human Rights Watch has accused RAB of numerous deaths, which have been attributed to crossfire. In March 2010, the battalion leader claimed 622 deaths were due to 'crossfire', while some human rights organisations claimed that more than 1,000
extrajudicial killing An extrajudicial killing (also known as extrajudicial execution or extralegal killing) is the deliberate killing of a person without the lawful authority granted by a judicial proceeding. It typically refers to government authorities, whether ...
s were the product of the battalion. Further, there have been many reports of torture in connection with the battalion's activities.


Murders

Sixteen RAB-11 officials (sacked afterwards) including Lt Col (sacked) Tareque Sayeed, Major (sacked) Arif Hossain, and Lt Commander (sacked) Masud Rana were given the death penalty for abduction, murder, concealing the bodies, conspiracy and destroying evidence in the Narayanganj Seven Murder case. Another nine RAB-11 officials were awarded jail terms of 7 to 17 years in the same case.


Extrajudicial killings

According to Human Rights Watch, members of Rapid Action Battalion have shot and killed women and children during public protests. Rights group describe it as a "
death squad A death squad is an armed group whose primary activity is carrying out extrajudicial killings or forced disappearances as part of political repression, genocide, ethnic cleansing, or revolutionary terror. Except in rare cases in which they are ...
." In 2017, a reporter from
Swedish Radio Sveriges Radio AB (, "Sweden's Radio") is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. Sveriges Radio is a public limited company, owned by an independent foundation, previously funded through a licensing fee, the level of which is ...
recorded a high-ranking RAB officer explaining how the RAB selects people to kill, and how it kills people. They kill people who they suspect of serious crimes but consider too difficult to convict in a trial or impossible to rehabilitate. He said, "If you find him – shoot and kill him, wherever he is. And then plant a weapon beside him." This officer says that people disappear this way every day, and that innocent people can disappear.


US senators seeking sanction

On 27 October 2020, The United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee wrote a letter to the United States Secretary of State and United States Secretary of the Treasury, urging them to impose sanctions on senior officials of the Rapid Action Battalion for human rights violations.


Framing incidents

Limon Hossain, a college student at Jamaddarhat at
Rajapur Upazila Rajapur ( bn, রাজাপুর) is an upazila (sub-district) of southern Bangladesh's Jhalokati District, part of the Barisal Division. Geography Rajapur is located at . It has 28,131 households and a total area of 164.33 km2. History ...
in Jhalakati, was shot at by RAB personnel near his house on 23 March 2011, triggering a local and international outcry. His left leg had to be amputated as a result. The battalion filed two cases that day with the Rajapur police implicating Limon in an arms case and accusing him of obstructing police duties. The government finally decided to withdraw the cases against Limon on 9 July 2013, citing his need to return to a "healthy and normal life". Rapid Action Battalion is accused of framing a Bangladeshi expatriate named Shamim Sikder on false charges of drug and forged currency and torturing him in custody.


Enforced disappearances

Families of the victims and witnesses blamed RAB for picking up 83 people while detective branch for 38, 'law enforcers' for 55, and plainclothes men for 20 others reported between January 2007 and August 2014, according to a report by human rights organization Ain-o-Shalish Kendro (ASK). The report also said that at least 70 leaders and activists of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami fell victim to enforced disappearance while 37 others were activists of ruling Awami League. On 5 February 2012 approximately at 1.00 a.m. Al Mukaddas (22), a 4th-year student of the Department of Al Fiqah, and Mohammad Waliullah (23), a Masters candidate of Dawah and Islamic Studies Department of Islamic University, were allegedly arrested and disappeared by some persons who identified themselves as RAB-4 and DB Police members from Savar. Both were members of the Islamic student organization
Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir Bangladesh Islami Chhatrashibir ( bn, বাংলাদেশ ইসলামী ছাত্রশিবির), is an Islamic student organization based in Bangladesh. It was established on 15 February 1996. The organisation is generally under ...
and were allegedly detained by members of the RAB and the Detective Branch (DB) of the Bangladesh Police on 4 February 2012. They have not been heard from since and their whereabouts are unknown. The RAB has denied detaining the two men in a statement to a Bangladeshi newspaper. However, reports from several sources and a pattern of disappearances thought to have been conducted by RAB in recent months cast doubt on RAB's denial.


U.S. sanctions

On 10 December 2021, the
U.S. Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...
added RAB to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list under
GLOMAG The Magnitsky Act, formally known as the Russia and Moldova Jackson–Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012, is a bipartisan bill passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in D ...
. Six individuals associated with RAB – including its Director General,
Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun is a Bangladeshi police officer and the current Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Bangladesh Police since 30 September 2022. Previously he served as Director General of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). He was made the ...
, former DG
Benazir Ahmed Benazir Ahmed is a retired Bangladeshi police officer who served as 30th Inspector General of Bangladesh Police. Prior to join as IGP, he served as the Director General of Rapid Action Battalion from January 2015 to April 2020. Benazir is curre ...
, ADG Colonel KM Azad were also sanctioned. Entities on the list have their assets blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them. Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen wrote an open letter to the US Secretariat of State Antony Blinken regarding RAB to reconsider those sanctions. On the others hand US Congressman and Chair of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory W Meeks has strongly supported those sanctions by the US Government and said that wholesale sanctions against Bangladesh were not necessary, but targeted sanctions were most useful.


References


Further reading

* *


External links

* {{Authority control Bangladesh Police 2004 establishments in Bangladesh Government agencies established in 2004 Police units of Bangladesh Bangladeshi intelligence agencies Domestic intelligence agencies Non-military counterterrorist organizations Counterterrorism in Bangladesh Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List Magnitsky Act