Dhaka, June 17 (HS): Bangladesh's government is preparing to disband the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and replace it with a new security force under a proposed legal framework aimed at strengthening internal security and law enforcement, according to a draft prepared by the Home Ministry.

RAB, formed in 2004, is an elite paramilitary force responsible for maintaining internal security, combating extremism and tackling organized crime in Bangladesh.

According to a report by the Dhaka Tribune, the proposed force may be named either the Special Response Battalion (SRB) or the People's Protection Force (PPF). The new organization would assume RAB's personnel, assets and ongoing operations.

The Home Ministry's draft proposal envisages a new law under which RAB would be dissolved and its entire structure incorporated into the new force. Officials said employees and officers transferred to the new organization would retain their existing service conditions.

The proposed force would function as a specialized auxiliary unit under the Bangladesh Police and would be empowered to conduct searches, enter premises, detain suspects and make arrests, while informing the concerned police stations in writing.

RAB has faced longstanding allegations of human rights violations. In 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on several serving and former RAB officials over alleged human rights abuses.

A commission established to investigate enforced disappearances following last year's mass uprising had also recommended disbanding the force.

Officials said the proposed reform is intended not merely to change the force's name but to create a more accountable and rights-sensitive security unit.

Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh president Advocate Manzil Murshed said ensuring accountability was more important than renaming the force. He said reforms should focus on punishing wrongdoing while strengthening oversight mechanisms.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar