Govt Proposes Renaming RAB to Special Response Battalion (SRB)

The Bangladesh government has drafted a bill to rename the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) as the Special Response Battalion (SRB). The proposed legal framework is currently available on the Ministry of Home Affairs website for public feedback.

Under the draft law the elite force will be legally reconstituted as a specialized unit within the Bangladesh Police. The SRB will operate from a Dhaka headquarters, featuring its own government-approved emblem flag and uniform. It will be led by a Director General drawn from serving police officers at the rank of Additional Inspector General of Police (Additional IGP) or higher.

The mandate of the SRB includes maintaining internal security, gathering intelligence recovering illegal firearms and explosives and combating organized crime narcotics cybercrime and human trafficking. Crucially for public accountability the draft outlines specific disciplinary procedures for officers and establishes a dedicated committee strictly to address public complaints against the unit.

Once public feedback is integrated the draft will undergo inter-ministerial review before seeking Cabinet approval. It will then be submitted to the National Parliament. Upon enactment the existing legal framework governing RAB will be repealed officially transitioning the force into the SRB under the new regulations.