Amid opposition protests and concerns from human rights activists, the government yesterday passed the Special Response Battalion (SRB) Bill 2026, abolishing RAB and establishing a new specialised unit under the police.

The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has long been the subject of serious controversy because of its involvement in enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture in secret detention facilities, and other grave human rights violations during the Awami League government’s tenure.