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Rapid Action Battalion

department · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

Profile

Head
Md Ahsan Habib Palash
Role
Director General
Annual budget
—
Staff
12000
Established
2004
Legal basis
Armed Police Battalions (Amendment) Act, 2003 (Act XXVII of 2003), enacted 10 July 2003, amending the Armed Police Battalions Ordinance, 1979. RAB formally emerged 26 March 2004 and became operational 14 April 2004. Section 13 of the 2003 Act, which extends functional immunity to personnel for acts in the course of duty, has been recommended for repeal by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (report presented 5 January 2025). A draft RAB Law-2024 to establish statutory accountability mechanisms is under preparation.

RAB is undergoing the most consequential institutional transition since its 2004 founding: the interim government announced on 3 February 2026 that the force will be renamed the Special Intervention Force (SIF) with a new uniform and restructured mandate, pending a gazette notification not yet issued as of mid-May 2026. A new DG, Ahsan Habib Palash (12th), assumed charge on 28 March 2026 following a broad police leadership reshuffle. US OFAC sanctions imposed on 10 December 2021 under Global Magnitsky remain fully in force. The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances recommended RAB's abolition in its January 2025 report; the interim government opted for rebranding and restructuring rather than disbandment. Joint anti-drug operations with the Army and DMP continued through April 2026 at Geneva Camp and other hotspots.

Recent activity

Provenance & notes

RAB was established under the Armed Police Battalions (Amendment) Act, 2003 (Act XXVII of 2003), amending the 1979 Ordinance; it emerged 26 March 2004 and became operationally active 14 April 2004. It is a composite secondment force drawing personnel from six services (Police, Army, Navy, Air Force, BGB, Ansar) under the operational control of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Public Security Division. Staff strength of ~12,000 is sourced from Bonik Barta reporting; no official gazette figure for RAB alone is publicly available for FY2025-26. The annual_budget_bdt field is null because RAB's specific budget line is not separately published within the Public Security Division allocation; the aggregate MHA allocation for FY2025-26 is Tk 71,737 crore. The 12th DG Ahsan Habib Palash (Additional IGP) was appointed 16 March 2026 and took formal charge 28 March 2026; he is from BCS batch 15 (1995 entry) and previously served as DIG Chattogram Range. The SIF renaming announcement (3 February 2026) has not been formalised by gazette as of 17 May 2026; the force continues to operate as RAB. US OFAC Global Magnitsky sanctions (10 December 2021) designated RAB as an entity and seven officials as individuals; no delisting action has been taken by OFAC under the current or previous US administration. The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (final report 5 January 2025) identified 22-23 of 40 documented secret detention facilities as belonging to RAB and recommended abolition; the interim government chose restructuring over dissolution. The draft RAB Law-2024 (accountability statute) is under preparation but has not been tabled in parliament as of the verification date.

Sources