RAB to be renamed ‘Special Intervention Force’, new uniform planned
The Chronify
The government has decided to change the name and uniform of the elite force Rapid Action Battalion following a review of its structure and activities.
The government has decided to change the name and uniform of the elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), renaming it the Special Intervention Force (SIF). A government order formalising the decision will be issued soon.
Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury disclosed the decision while speaking to reporters after a meeting of the Law and Order Core Committee at the Secretariat on Tuesday.
“The decision to change the name has been taken after a detailed review of the structure and activities of the force. Uniforms are also being made,” he said. While RAB currently wears black uniforms, no details were provided about the colour or design of the new uniform. A member of the law and order committee said the specifics would be outlined in the official order and guidelines.
The move comes amid long-standing criticism of RAB’s activities. On December 10, 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on RAB and seven of its officials over alleged human rights violations. The sanctions were announced by both the US Treasury Department and the State Department on International Human Rights Day.
Among those sanctioned was former RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed, who has been barred from entering the United States and remains under US Treasury sanctions.
A fact-finding report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on events between July 1 and August 15 last year recommended abolishing RAB. The New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch has also repeatedly called for the force to be disbanded.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has similarly demanded the abolition of RAB. On December 10, 2024, BNP standing committee member Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said at a press conference that RAB’s past activities had reached a point where reform was no longer possible, likening the force to “gangrene” that must be removed.
According to participants at the latest Advisory Council Committee on Law and Order meeting, RAB’s activities over the past two decades were discussed at length. They said the force had faced allegations of abuse of power, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, leading to international sanctions.
To prevent similar allegations in the future, the meeting directed authorities to study how elite law enforcement units operate in countries including France, Italy, Germany, England and Turkey.
Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury disclosed the decision while speaking to reporters after a meeting of the Law and Order Core Committee at the Secretariat on Tuesday.
“The decision to change the name has been taken after a detailed review of the structure and activities of the force. Uniforms are also being made,” he said. While RAB currently wears black uniforms, no details were provided about the colour or design of the new uniform. A member of the law and order committee said the specifics would be outlined in the official order and guidelines.
The move comes amid long-standing criticism of RAB’s activities. On December 10, 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on RAB and seven of its officials over alleged human rights violations. The sanctions were announced by both the US Treasury Department and the State Department on International Human Rights Day.
Among those sanctioned was former RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed, who has been barred from entering the United States and remains under US Treasury sanctions.
A fact-finding report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on events between July 1 and August 15 last year recommended abolishing RAB. The New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch has also repeatedly called for the force to be disbanded.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has similarly demanded the abolition of RAB. On December 10, 2024, BNP standing committee member Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said at a press conference that RAB’s past activities had reached a point where reform was no longer possible, likening the force to “gangrene” that must be removed.
According to participants at the latest Advisory Council Committee on Law and Order meeting, RAB’s activities over the past two decades were discussed at length. They said the force had faced allegations of abuse of power, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, leading to international sanctions.
To prevent similar allegations in the future, the meeting directed authorities to study how elite law enforcement units operate in countries including France, Italy, Germany, England and Turkey.
