Special Correspondent //

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has recommended disbanding the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a specialized unit accused of extrajudicial killings, torture, and disappearances. The New York-based human rights organization made the recommendation in a report on Bangladesh’s reforms.

The report, titled ‘After the Monsoon Revolution: A Roadmap to Lasting Security Sector Reform in Bangladesh’, says that disbanding RAB is urgent not only to prevent misuse for political purposes, but also to ensure that the security forces do not become tools of repression by the next government.

The report fears that without rapid and structural reforms in Bangladesh, the hard-earned progress of the interim government could stall. The gains made in the student movement could also be lost. The force’s reform is therefore necessary to restore democracy in Bangladesh.

The 50-page report alleges that the security forces have not changed the way they harassed ordinary people during the time of the fallen government. Freeing those forces from political influence is a major challenge for the interim government.

The report quotes an interview with a Swedish radio station in April 2017. A senior RAB official admitted to Human Rights Watch that they had carried out incidents such as kidnapping, killing and sometimes dismembering bodies. They later described them as gunfights or attacks by criminals.

The official told Human Rights Watch, “RAB, DB and DGFI have killed many people. I have seen these acts done in my 10-11-year career. These allegations are true. RAB never informed the police headquarters, the Ministry of Home Affairs or even the Home Minister about these acts.”

The report requests the repeal of detention orders and laws used to suppress critics. Reforms have been called for focusing on ensuring the separation of powers and political neutrality in various institutions, including public administration, police, military, and judiciary.

In order to ensure reforms in Bangladesh, the report recommends that the interim government receive technical assistance, monitoring, and reporting support from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN human rights experts.

In a situation where the police were unable to fully control the law and order situation in the country, the Rapid Action Battalion or RAB began operations as an alternative force in 2004. Later, allegations of various human rights violations, including torture, were made against them. The United States even imposed sanctions on some officers of the force in 2021 on charges of human rights violations.

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