Dhaka, Feb 3 (.) The Bangladesh interim government has decided to rename its controversial paramilitary force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), as the Special Intervention Force (SIF), amid a bid to structurally overhaul and revamp the elite unit, following a barrage of sustained domestic and international calls demanding its immediate disbandment.
Home Affairs Advisor (Retd Lt Gen) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, announced the decision while speaking to reporters after a meeting at the Secretariat.
He said a gazette notification formalising the change would be issued shortly, adding that the transformation would involve far more than a rebranding exercise.
Under the plan, the force will adopt a new uniform and undergo structural and operational reforms aimed at improving transparency, accountability and public trust, reports Business Standard BD.
“Taking into account the force’s past activities and international sanctions, initiatives have been taken to make it more transparent and people-friendly,” the advisor said, noting that the revamped SIF would be modelled on elite security units in countries such as France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
According to officials, the decision to rename the RAB into SIF is not merely limited to rebranding, but rather a transformative process which followed detailed discussions within a law-enforcement advisory council, which later instructed authorities to closely study European policing models to ensure future operations comply with human rights standards.
Recommendations from the Police Reform Commission are also being incorporated to ensure the new force operates strictly within a lawful and accountable framework.
The government has stressed that safeguarding human rights, modernising command structures and preventing abuses will be central to the reform.
Visible changes will include redesigned uniforms, logos and identity cards to reflect the new mandate.
The RAB was originally formed on March 26, 2004, during the BNP-led four-party alliance government, amid rising militancy and a sharp deterioration in law and order. Since then, it has faced persistent allegations of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights abuses.
In 2021, the US imposed sanctions on RAB and several of its senior officials for human rights violations, while more recently, a report by the Office of the UNHRC High Commissioner recommended that the unit be disbanded altogether, echoing long-standing demands from groups such as Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International, as well as think tanks like the Atlantic Council which have frequently called for either its restructuring or total dismemberment.
Despite its notoriety, the decision for its transformation comes at a particularly peculiar and sensitive moment, given that the RAB is one of the biggest units for managing poll security during the upcoming twin elections on February 12, leading to concerns that managing crowds and overall security during the polls could prove increasingly difficult.
During the same briefing, the home affairs advisor responded to concerns raised by reporters about election security, including warnings from Transparency International Bangladesh that unchecked “mob” violence could undermine the polls, and survey findings showing more than 600 police personnel were attacked in 2025. He expressed confidence that the situation was improving.
“The morale of the police is now higher than at any time before,” he said.
“Once the election schedule is announced, the atmosphere will remain festive, and an acceptable election will be held.”
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