RAB to Be Renamed Special Intervention Force Soon

The interim government has decided to change the name of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), with the elite force set to be renamed the Special Intervention Force (SIF). An official order in this regard will be issued shortly, officials said.

The decision was announced on Tuesday (February 3) by Home Affairs Adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury following a core committee meeting held at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the adviser said the decision to rename RAB was taken after a comprehensive review of the force’s structure, role and operations. He also confirmed that RAB’s uniform will be changed as part of the rebranding process.

“After detailed evaluation of the force’s framework and activities, we have decided to change its name. New uniforms are also being prepared,” he said.

RAB was originally conceived as the Rapid Action Team (RAT) during its initial phase before being formally established as the Rapid Action Battalion in 2004 during the government led by Khaleda Zia.

Over the years, the force has faced persistent allegations of human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. In response to these allegations, the United States imposed sanctions on RAB and seven of its officials on December 10, 2021—International Human Rights Day. The sanctions were announced separately by the US Treasury Department and the State Department.

Former RAB director general Benazir Ahmed was also included in the sanctions list and barred from entering the United States.

The issue gained further international attention after the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights published a fact-finding report analysing incidents that took place between July 1 and August 15, 2024. The report included a recommendation calling for the dissolution of RAB. New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch has also long demanded the disbanding of the force.

Meanwhile, the Police Reform Commission formed by the interim government recommended a reassessment of RAB’s necessity. The commission said past activities of the force and allegations of rights violations should be reviewed to ensure accountability and to establish a more people-friendly policing system.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has also called for RAB’s abolition. At a press conference held on December 10, 2024, at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, party standing committee member Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said RAB’s past actions had reached a point beyond reform.

Drawing a medical analogy, he said, “Just as gangrene must be amputated, there is no alternative but to abolish this force.”

Officials, however, say the renaming and restructuring aim to signal a shift towards reform, accountability and renewed public trust, with further details expected once the formal order is issued.