Rapid Action Battalion

Rapid Action Battalion or RAB is an elite anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police. It consists of members of the Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force, Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh Ansar. It was formed on 26 March 2004, and commenced operations on 14 April 2004.

Since its inception, the RAB has seized a total of 3,149 illegal arms and more than 36,000 rounds of ammunition, and has made more than 500 arrests.



Rank Insignia
Because RAB is composed of officers and troops from Bangladesh Police and Bangladesh Armed Forces, it was necessary to attribute a common rank insignia to the RAB badges. Such insignia can be seen in the illustrations below.
 * Reference: http://www.rab.gov.bd/about_rank.php

Location
RAB also has 12 battalion size field units spread all over the country. Among them, 5 are located in the capital Dhaka. The units are located as follows:
 * RAB-1 : Dhaka
 * RAB-2 : Dhaka
 * RAB-3 : Dhaka
 * RAB-4 : Dhaka
 * RAB-5 : Rajshahi
 * RAB-6 : Khulna
 * RAB-7 : Chittagong
 * RAB-8 : Barisal
 * RAB-9 : Sylhet
 * RAB-10 : Dhaka
 * RAB-11 : Narayanganj
 * RAB-12 : Sirajganj

Activities
Main activities and types of work done by RAB are:

Counter-Terrorism RAB apprehended numerous terrorism suspects during the course of their tenure.

Anti Drugs RAB has been involved in the control of illegal substances such as Yaba, Phensidyle and Heroin.

Emergency Help RAB provides immediate response for situations such as armed robbery and kidnappings.

National Common or annual needs Many national needs are filled by RAB by providing extra duty during Eid-ul-Fitr, Puja, world Ijtema and Akheri Munazat, among other events. They also contribute resources during elections, such as the Narayangonj City Corporation Election.

Notable arrests
The following is a table containing details of major arrests by the RAB according to their official website:

Controversy
Although the RAB has been successful in apprehending several high-profile terrorists, including the infamous Bangla Bhai, Amnesty International has accused RAB of numerous deaths, which have been attributed to crossfire. In March 2010, the battalion leader claimed 622 deaths were due to 'crossfire', while some human rights organisations claimed that more than 1,000 extrajudicial killings were the product of the battalion. Further, there have been many reports of torture in connection with the battalion's activities.

Limon Hossain, a college student at Jamaddarhat at Rajapur Upazila in Jhalakati, was shot at by RAB personnel near his house on March 23rd, 2011, triggering local and international outcry. His left leg had to be amputated as a result. The battalion filed two cases that day with the Rajapur police implicating Limon in an arms case and accusing him of obstructing police duties. The government finally decided to withdraw the cases against Limon on July 9th, 2013, citing his need to return to a "healthy and normal life".