Bangladesh Parliament introduces bill to replace RAB with Special Response Battalion

A bill to abolish the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and establish the Special Response Battalion (SRB) under the direct control of the police has been introduced in the Bangladesh Parliament. Introduced by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, the ‘Special Response Battalion Bill, 2026’ proposes transferring all RAB personnel, assets, funds, and responsibilities to the new unit. The SRB would be tasked with combating terrorism, organized crime, narcotics, cybercrime, and human trafficking.

The proposal has met significant opposition. Opposition leaders in Parliament argued that the bill merely rebrands RAB using its existing manpower, potentially maintaining the same institutional culture. Meanwhile, the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) has called for the total dissolution of the force rather than its revival under a new name. JSD General Secretary Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan expressed deep concern regarding the SRB’s proposed authority to maintain its own detention centers and interrogation rooms, warning that such provisions could lead to a resurgence of human rights violations, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

The bill has been referred to the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Home Affairs for a report within four working days.