Rapid Action Battalion

Elite Bangladeshi Police Unit

Rapid Action Battalion or RAB, is an anti crime and anti terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police. This elite force consists of members of the Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force, Bangladesh Police, Border Guard Bangladesh, and Bangladesh Ansar. It was formed on 26 March 2004 as RAT (Rapid Action Team), and commenced operations on 14 April 2004.

The Rapid Action Battalion was formed on 12 July 2003 under the Armed Police Battalion (Amendment) Act, 2003. 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 [RABid] monster." RAB was provided weapons seized from 10 Truck Arms and Ammunition Haul in Chittagong 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. According to RAB he died in a crossfire; his body showed signs of torture. On May 28, Moshin Sheikh, and Ali Jinnah, students of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, 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. On 3 February, Mohiuddin Arif, a technician at Apollo Hospital Dhaka was detained and tortured in custody by RAB. Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, a salesman and member of extremist Allah r Dol, was forcible disappeared by RAB in February. 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. 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. His family members were warned by RAB with enforced disappearance not to talk about the issue. In March 2017, Intelligence Wing chief Lieutenant Colonel Abul Kalam Azad was killed in a bomb blast in Sylhet while raiding an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant hideout.

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. One of whom, retired Army captain Johirul Haque Khandaker, died eight months later in custody. 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, was promoted and appointed Inspector General of Bangladesh Police. Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun was under sanctions of the United States for human rights abuse.

No Name Took office Left office1Anwarul Iqbal26 March 200424 April 20052Abdul Aziz Sarkar24 April 20052 November 20063Khoda Baks Chowdhury2 November 20063 November 20064SM Mizanur Rahman3 November 200613 February 20075Baharul Alam13 February 200714 February 20076Hasan Mahmud Khandaker15 February 200730 August 20107Md. Mokhleshur Rahman30 August 201031 November 20148Benazir Ahmed 7 January 2015 14 April 20209Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun 15 April 2020 29 September 202210M Khurshid Hossain 30 September 2022 Incumbent

Although the RAB has been successful in apprehending several high profile terrorists, including the infamous Bangla Bhai, 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 killings were the product of the battalion. Further, there have been many reports of torture in connection with the battalion's activities.

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.

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."

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.

Limon Hossain, a college student at Jamaddarhat at Rajapur Upazila 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.

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 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.

On 10 December 2021, the U. S. Department of the Treasury added RAB to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list under GLOMAG. Six individuals associated with RAB – including its Director General, Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, former DG Benazir Ahmed, 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.