United News of Bangladesh

Parliament on Thursday passed the Special Response Battalion (SRB) Bill, 2026, paving the way for the abolition of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and its replacement with a specialised police unit despite strong objections from opposition lawmakers. The bill seeks to establish the SRB by removing the provisions relating to RAB from the Armed Police Battalions Ordinance, 2003, which provided the legal basis for the formation of RAB. Bill proposing creation of SRB replacing RAB placed in parliament RAB was formed in 2004 under the amended ordinance and has faced criticism over allegations of human rights violations and enforced disappearances. The government is now repealing the ordinance and enacting separate laws for the SRB and the Armed Police Battalion (APBn). The SRB Bill was placed in Parliament on September 3. Opposition lawmakers had then objected to its introduction, arguing that RAB was effectively being reconstituted under a new name. They also submitted notes of dissent on eight issues during scrutiny of the bill by the parliamentary committee. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed moved the bill for immediate consideration. Opposition members called for sending it to a select committee and for public opinion to be sought before its passage. Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman, Jamaat-e-Islami lawmakers Md Ruhul Amin, Md Rashedul Islam Rashed, Nurul Islam and Muhammad Nazibur Rahman, and independent MP Sk Mozibur Rahman Iqbal took part in the discussion. The bill provides for an SRB under the police force. The unit will be formed by deploying or appointing, on deputation, police personnel, members of law enforcement agencies and a specified number of officers, armed personnel or employees, according to government requirements. The rank structure, recruitment procedures and service conditions of SRB personnel will be determined by rules. The unit will have its own flag, emblem and prescribed uniform. The director general of the SRB will be a serving police officer holding a rank no lower than additional inspector general of police. Under the bill, RAB’s manpower, orders, powers, authority, existing facilities, funds, cash and bank balances, liabilities, contracts, movable and immovable property, registers, records and other documents will be transferred to the SRB. Until rules are framed under the new law, departmental disciplinary proceedings and court proceedings relating to RAB under the 2005 rules will remain in force. The SRB will have powers to investigate criminal offences, conduct searches, make arrests and seize property. The bill also provides for detention facilities, stores and interrogation rooms under the unit. It also provides for a complaint redress committee to deal with complaints from citizens and internal grievances of unit members. An additional director general of the unit will chair the committee. Opposition lawmaker Nurul Islam said people remained fearful of RAB because of allegations of human rights violations and its alleged involvement in enforced disappearances. He questioned the decision to pass the bill within only four working days without adequate consultation and called for discussions with stakeholders. The opposition MP also questioned whether the proposed complaint redress committee will have sufficient authority to address allegations and proposed that it be headed by a former judge of the Supreme Court. He also said the bill did not clearly specify where detained people will be kept and called for all SRB facilities and offices to be gazetted. Nazibur Rahman referred to the seven murders in Narayanganj in 2014 and said former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia had called for RAB to be abolished after the incident. He said she later described RAB as a “cancer” and that the BNP formally recommended its abolition in 2024. Nazibur Rahman said the United Nations human rights mechanism, Human Rights Watch and the Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances also recommended the abolition of RAB. He said transferring RAB’s manpower, offices, powers, documents, assets, contracts and liabilities to the SRB meant that “only the signboard is being changed”. Shafiqur Rahman said the abolition of RAB had been a demand of various political parties and human rights organisations, but nobody had demanded the creation of another force of the same nature. He said the proposed law appears to retain RAB’s personnel, facilities, logistics and manpower while changing only its name. The opposition leader urged the government to withdraw the bill and first establish why a specialised force of this nature is necessary. Replying to the opposition, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said abolishing RAB was a BNP commitment and that delaying the bill will mean allowing RAB to continue to exist. He said the bill was discussed by the parliamentary committee and has also been available on the ministry’s website for a long period for public feedback. The minister said the complaint redress committee will deal with departmental complaints against members of the unit. He said RAB will be abolished once the law is passed and a new battalion called the SRB will subsequently be established. Salahuddin said the assets and equipment currently held by RAB have to be transferred somewhere because they are state property. He said transferring them to the new organisation will avoid unnecessary fresh procurement. APBN Bill also passed After passing the SRB Bill, Parliament passed the Armed Police Battalions (APBn) Bill, 2026, repealing the Armed Police Battalions Ordinance. The bill provides for APBn units under the police force, including the Special Security and Protection Battalion, hill battalions, airport battalions and any other battalions specified by the government. The proposed law gives APBn powers to investigate criminal offences and, subject to the Code of Criminal Procedure and other applicable laws, to enter premises, conduct searches, seize property and make arrests. The bill also bars APBn members from directly or indirectly publishing, or assisting in publishing, information or documents in electronic media or newspapers without prior approval from the competent authorities. The APBn Bill was passed by voice vote after opposition proposals for sending it to a select committee and seeking public opinion were disposed of.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested Rashiduzzaman Morol, a former Member of Parliament for Khulna-6, who faces multiple charges related to violence and the use of explosives. Rashiduzzaman was arrested early Wednesday during a joint operation by RAB-6 and RAB-8 in the Mahipur area of Patuakhali district, according to a statement from ASP Imran Khan, spokesperson for the RAB headquarters media wing. AL leader arrested in city over murder during mass upsurge The former MP is currently implicated in three separate cases involving violent activities and explosives. 

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested three more members of new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya from the signboard area of ​​Narayanganj. The arrestees are Abdul Hadi Sumon, 40, son of Abdur Rakib of Sunamganj's Jagannathpur, Abu Sayed Sher Mohammad,32, son of Abdus Sattar of Bogura Sadar and Md Roni Mia,29, son of late Khorshed Mia of Narayanganj. Read more: 26 members of new militant group ‘Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya' held so far: Rab Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of Rab’s legal and media wing, revealed the information while briefing the media on Wednesday in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar. With these, 29 members of the new militant outfit have been arrested so far, said Rapid Action Battalion (Rab). Tipped off, they were arrested in a drive conducted by Rab-11 and Detective Branch in the area on Tuesday night. The elite force also seized some leaflets and books on radical views from the arrestees, Commander Moin said. Read more: Five suspected members of new militant outfit Jama'atul Ansar held In 2019, ‘Jamatul Ansar fil Hindal Sharqiya’ (Jamatul Ansar of Eastern Hind) was formed. Some leaders and activists of different levels of banned militant groups of Bangladesh including Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Ansar Al Islam and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), joined together to start the activities of this radical militant group, said the Rab official.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday questioned the motive behind impositions of sanctions on Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) by the United States. “Who created Rab?” she asked, pointing out that the US trained Rab and provided everything to the anti-crime agency, which has been credited for its role in dealing with militancy and terrorism.  Read: Home Minister: Reforms can be initiated after reviewing US report on Rab She said that some people provide false and fabricated information about the human rights violation to the United States, and some of them are misguiding the US after committing crimes here and leaving the country. She appreciated Rab, saying that it has successfully tackled crimes and terrorism, but now criminals are being encouraged because of such sanctions on the agency.   Sheikh Hasina made the statement when she briefed journalists at her official residence Ganabhaban on her recent participation in the UN General Assembly. Read: “Extrajudicial killings down since US sanctions on RAB, a good sign” Earlier, this month US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas said that the number of extrajudicial killings has significantly gone down since the US sanctions imposed on Rab. He said he saw this “as a good sign”. In December, 2021, the United States imposed human rights related sanctions on Rab and seven former or current officials of the agency. 

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has claimed to have detained a fugitive death row war crimes convict in Savar on the outskirts of the capital.  He was sentenced to death for committing crimes against humanity in Netrokona. The detainee has been identified as Khalilur Rahman, 68, son of Nobi Hossain of Durgapur in Netrakona district. Tipped off, a team of Rab-14 conducted a drive in Savar and detained Khalilur on Tuesday night, said ASP Imran Khan of legal and media wing of Rab headquarters at a press briefing held at Rab media center on Wednesday. Khalilur had been on the run since 2015 and he used to stay in different parts of the city, including Dakkhin Khan, Turag and Uttara, to avoid arrest, said ASP Imran. He also refrained from using a mobile phone to avoid his arrest but his family members often contacted him and supplied money and other things, he said. On January 30, 2017, the prosecution submitted chargesheet against five people of Netrakona, including Khalilur Rahman for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity. On September 13, 2022, a tribunal sentenced the five accused to death for their crimes against humanity. Charges including killing of 22 people, rape, torture, abduction and arson attack were brought against them. Four other convicts died during the trial.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on Wednesday detained two more associates of Proshanto Kumar Halder, disgraced director of International Leasing and Finance Service Ltd (ILFSL), in a money laundering case. The detainees were Sharmin Ahmed, 42 and Tania Ahmed, 37—two daughters of People’s Leasing Company director Khabir Uddin, one of the main associates of Halder. Tipped off, the elite force detained them from Dhanmondi and Shyamoli area in the city, said Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of the Legal and Media Wing of Rab. Read: Extradition of PK Halder has to go through legal process: Indian envoy Halder now in jail as Indian intelligence team arrested him.  Halder reportedly amassed Tk 3,600 crore and laundered the money abroad while performing his duties as director at ILFSL. Besides, on January 8, the Anti-Corruption Commission also lodged a complaint against Halder for acquiring wealth of around Tk 275 crore beyond any known income sources and money laundering.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) have detained three people from Sadar upazila of Cox’s Bazar in connection with the gang rape of a school teacher. The detainees were Bedar Mia, 28, Mostak Mia, 24, and Belal Uddin, 22, of the district. Read:Housewife gang raped in Thakurgaon: 3 held A team of Rab-15 detained the trio from an under-construction building in PM Khali area of the town Tuesday night following a complaint filed at Cox’s Bazar Sadar police station by the rape survivor, said Assistant Superintendent of Police Nityananda Das at a press briefing on Wednesday. On August 19,  prime accused Bedar Mia along with his three associates raped the school teacher at gun point  taking her to the under-construction building. The detainees confessed to their crime during primary questioning, said the officer. The detainees were handed over to Cox’s Bazar Sadar police station, he added.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members have detained 37 members of a mugging gang from different areas in the capital. A team of Rab-3 detained the muggers after conducting simultaneous drives in Shahjahanpur, Motijheel, Mugda and Tejgaon areas on Saturday night, said Additional Superintendent of Police and staff officer (Media) Bashir Ahmed. Read: Muggers strike with sharp weapons, make off with Tk 5 lakhs from Rocket agent The elite force also seized sharp weapons and sedative sprays from their possession. During primary questioning, the alleged gang members said they used to mug passengers at bus stands and railway stations in the city spraying sedatives on their face and brandishing sharp weapons. Legal steps will be taken against the detainees, the officer added.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has arrested the truck driver who allegedly mowed down three members of a family on the busy Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, including a woman who gave birth to a baby girl moments before her death. The arrestee has been identified as Md Raju Ahmed Shipon, 42, son of Abdur Razak from Rajshahi, Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director, legal and media wing, at Rab HQ, told reporters on Tuesday. “He was arrested from the Savar area of Dhaka on Monday night while fleeing on a truck," said the Rab commander.  “During preliminary interrogation, the accused admitted to hitting the victims near Trishal bus stand in Mymensingh district while ferrying goods in his truck to Kishoreganj on Saturday noon,” he said.  Though locals had seized the truck, the accused managed to flee by getting on a Dhaka-bound bus. On Saturday, a baby girl was born during the road accident that left three of her family members, including her parents, dead on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway near the court building area in Trishal upazila. Read:Baby born on road after accident that kills parents, sister The deceased were identified as Jahangir Alam, 35, his wife Ratna Begum, 26, and their daughter Jannat Ara, 3, from Raymoni village in the upazila. Jahangir was crossing the highway with his eight-month pregnant wife and daughter for conducting a medical test of his spouse at the upazila health complex when they were mowed down by the truck. All the three died on the spot but miraculously the baby girl was born before her mother died on the road and taken to the upazila health complex by locals. She was later transferred to Mymensingh Labib Hospital due to a fractured left hand and collar bone. On July 17, a case was filed over the accident at Trishal police station following a complaint received from Jahangir’s father. Legal action will be taken against the arrestee, said Commander Khandaker.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) have detained a fugitive death row convict in a case filed over the attack on a train carrying the then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina in 1994. Zakaria Pintu, 50, of Ishwardi, was detained from Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar on Saturday night in a drive conducted by a team of Rab-2, said a press release from Rab Headquarter on Sunday. During primary interrogation, Pintu confessed that he was a fugitive accused of carrying out bomb attack on a train at Ishwardi railway station with the intention of killing the now Prime Minister. Pintu was convicted in two murder case in Ishwardi in 1994 and in 2009. He was later arrested along with arms by law enforcers in 2011 and sentenced to 17 years in jail in an arms case. Also read: Kotalipara plot: 14 sentenced to death Apart from the death sentence and imprisonment, there are six arrest warrants and 19 cases filed against him over various crimes, including terrorist activities, establishing dominance and extortion. In 2015, he also took part in a local election in Pabna's Ishwardi as an independent candidate and lost it. On September 23 in 1994, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was travelling to Syedpur from Khulna in a train and was attacked with bombs and gunshots at Ishwardi Railway station, as per the release. A case was filed under the Explosives Act and Special Powers Act at Ishwardi GRP Police Station in Pabna in this regard. Later, the investigating officer of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted a chargesheet against a total of 52 people on April 3 in 1997, it added. After long proceedings, nine accused, including Pintu, were sentenced to death while 25 to life imprisonment and 13 others to 10 years in prison on July 3, 2019. He went into hiding soon after the sentence in the assassination attempt case was announced in 2019. He fled to India on the day following the judgment. After staying there for some days, he returned to the country and went into hiding in different parts of the country, including Dhaka, Rajshahi and Cox's Bazar. Also read: PM Hasina assassination attempt: Fugitive death row convict held in city He was last detained by RAB-2 while hiding at his friend's house in Teknaf of Cox's Bazar. “Legal steps are underway against the detainee,” said the release.