Bangladesh’s elite law enforcement agency, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), has officially ceased operations under its original identity and commenced functioning as the Special Response Battalion (SRB). Starting Wednesday, 16 September, the restructured unit under the Bangladesh Police initiated its formal duties, retaining the visual framework of its original insignia whilst updating the text to reflect its new designation.
Official press releases and event invitations issued by the force’s various wings now display the emblem bearing the name “SRB Bangladesh”. Confirming the transition, the head of the unit, Ahsan Habib Palash, stated that the gazette notification regarding the Special Response Battalion had been formally published, enabling the organisation to execute all operational activities under the SRB banner with immediate effect.
This operational shift follows legislative measures enacted in Parliament on 10 September, which dissolved RAB and authorized the establishment of the specialized unit under the administrative purview of the Bangladesh Police. The statutory framework achieved full legal status on Tuesday, 15 September, following the issuance of the official gazette notification, paving the way for immediate implementation.
Formed on 26 March 2004 under the then BNP-Jamaat coalition administration, RAB was initially tasked with tackling severe law and order challenges, violent crime, and counter-terrorism. Whilst credited with high-profile operations over two decades, the force increasingly drew intense scrutiny and criticism from local and international rights groups over alleged human rights violations, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings.
These persistent allegations culminated on 10 December 2021, when the United States Department of the Treasury imposed targeted sanctions on RAB alongside seven of its top former and serving officials. Pressure for fundamental institutional reform intensified significantly following the July mass uprising, leading to widespread calls from civil society and political factions for the complete dissolution or restructuring of the unit. On 10 December 2024, a police administration reform committee formulated by the BNP formally recommended disbanding the elite force.
In response to these developments, the government restructured the force’s operational scope and chain of command. By transitioning RAB into the Special Response Battalion, authorities aim to address long-standing accountability concerns whilst maintaining a specialized police unit equipped for specialized tactical responses nationwide.
