SRB has no connection with RAB: Home Minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said the Special Response Battalion (SRB) is being formed anew by abolishing RAB, and the SRB has no connection with RAB. Once RAB is abolished, its weapons, equipment and other assets will be transferred to the new agency to prevent wastage of state resources.

He made these remarks while participating in the discussion on the 'Special Response Battalion (SRB) Bill, 2026' during the third session of the 13th National Parliament on Thursday, September 10.

Responding to the opposition's objections, the Home Minister said abolishing RAB is part of the government's election manifesto and the commitment of the 2024 July uprising. If the bill is delayed, RAB's existence will remain.

Responding to the opposition's claim that the bill was not discussed adequately, he said the matter was discussed in the first and second sessions as well. Before the bill was placed in the Cabinet, it had been published on the ministry's website for a long time. After being placed in parliament, it was discussed for four to five working days and reviewed by the standing committee. Opinions of various stakeholders were also taken into consideration.

Regarding the transfer of records from RAB to SRB, the Home Minister said this is a procedural matter, and records will be preserved in accordance with the rules. There is a provision to hand over an arrested accused to the nearest police station immediately.

Regarding complaints against SRB members, he said the relevant section of the bill mainly provides for a redress mechanism for internal disciplinary complaints of the force. There is also a provision to take action against any member under existing laws if they commit an offence.

Clarifying the relationship between RAB and SRB, the Home Minister said after RAB is abolished, a new battalion will be formed called SRB. The new force is not a modified version of RAB.

However, raising the question of where RAB's weapons, equipment, intelligence equipment and other state assets will go, he said there is no scope to sell these assets at auction. To protect state resources, they will be transferred to the new agency or another state institution. This will prevent wastage of money by buying similar equipment anew.

The Home Minister also said there are plans to form a separate cyber security unit under the police in the future to tackle cybercrime. The process of amending the Cyber Security Act in this regard is also underway.

He also spoke about the legal basis of RAB. He said RAB was formed in 2003 or 2004 under a section of the Armed Police Battalion Act. After a long time, various flaws in that arrangement came to light, prompting the initiative to remove RAB from the Armed Police Battalion structure and abolish it.

At the same time, the initiative has been taken to modernise the 1979 Armed Police Battalion Ordinance by translating it into Bangla and turning it into a modern law, the Home Minister said. Under the new arrangement, the RAB-related portion will be removed from the Armed Police Battalion Act.