Police, RAB, DB, CTTC behind enforced disappearances: Report

The Commission’s assessment reveals that the majority of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh have been carried out by various units under the Bangladesh police and intelligence agencies.

Victims, witnesses, and family members most frequently identified the police, RAB, DB and CTTC as the main perpetrators, according to the second interim report of the Commission.

In addition, personnel from the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence (NSI), and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were also implicated in playing a role in these disappearances.

Both DGFI and NSI typically operate in intelligence, not law enforcement. As they have no legal mandate to arrest or detain civilians, any involvement in detentions, abductions, or interrogations crosses constitutional boundaries.

This suggests potential illegal parallel enforcement structures—a serious constitutional concern.

It is worth noting that all the law enforcement and intelligence agencies have violated and/or overstepped their standard operating procedure (SOP) or charter of duties while carrying out operations, the report said.

The Commission submitted its second interim report titled "Unfolding the Truth: A Structural Diagnosis of Enforced Disappearance in Bangladesh" to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday.

The Commission's report pinpoints the role of every security agency involved in enforced disappearances.
Follwing is the findings of the report:

Police:

The Bangladesh Police is the principal law enforcement agency of the country, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs. 

It is responsible for maintaining law and order, preventing and investigating crimes, and ensuring internal security. Headed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the force included specialised units such as the Detective Branch (DB), Special Branch (SB), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). 

Although established during British colonial rule, the police has evolved significantly since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.Under the Awami League government, the police came under sustained scrutiny for widespread human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture in custody, suppression of dissent, and excessive use of force.

From 2009 onward, the police became increasingly politicised, functioning more as an enforcer of government policy than as a neutral public institution. 

Numerous national and international reports documented the disproportionate targeting of opposition groups, particularly the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaate-Islami, raising serious concerns about the erosion of democratic space and civil liberties.

Extrajudicial killings—frequently labelled as “crossfire” incidents—became a hallmark of police operations, especially during anti-drug raids or crackdowns on suspected criminals. 

These killings often took place without judicial oversight. Torture in custody was also pervasive. Victims reported severe abuse, including beatings, electric shocks, waterboarding, and other forms of physical and psychological torture. Although the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act of 2013 was enacted to curb such practices, it was rarely enforced, and few officers faced legal consequences.

The police also routinely cracked down on peaceful protests, student movements, and press freedom, most notably during the July Uprising in 2024. 

Repressive laws such as the Special Powers Act and the Digital Security Act were widely used to arrest dissenters on vague charges such as “hurting religious sentiment” or “spreading propaganda.”The Commission has documented hundreds of enforced disappearances carried out by the police.

Victims included political activists, students, teachers, businesspeople, and critics of the government. Many were severely tortured and ultimately extrajudicially killed after beingdisappeared. 

These patterns revealed a structural crisis within the police: a culture of impunity, systematic abuse of power, and a lack of institutional accountability—all in direct contradiction to their constitutional mandate to uphold the rule of law and protect citizens.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is a paramilitary law enforcement agency established in 2004 under the Ministry of Home Affairs, originally tasked with tackling serious crimes such as terrorism, drug trafficking, and organised crime. 

The force comprises 15 battalions across the country, each with three to four Crime Prevention Companies (CPCs) under each battalion. 

Under the leadership of the Director General, it operates through 10 functional wings. Under the direction of ADG (Ops): Operations, Intelligence, Legal and Media, and Air Wings; and under the direction of ADG (Admin): Admin and Finance, Communication and MIS, Investigation and Forensics, Training and Orientation, and Research and Development Wings.

 RAB’s headquarters are located in Kurmitola, Dhaka.While RAB initially played a prominent role in combating crime and maintaining public order, it soon became synonymous with serious human rights abuses. 

The Commission has received hundreds of complaints involving RAB’s direct participation in enforced disappearances, custodial torture, and extrajudicial killings. 

National and international organisations have documented a pattern of individuals allegedly picked up by RAB who were later found dead or remained missing, raising grave concerns regarding the agency’s adherence to rule of law and human rights standards.

Although RAB had been created with support from the United States and the United Kingdom as a counterterrorism force, it eventually morphed into a political death squad. The force operated with significant autonomy, and the lack of robust oversight enabled widespread abuse. 

The UK Government withdrew its support and training over a decade ago in response to its poor human rights record, and the United States imposed sanctions in December 2021 citing gross violations, including extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances.

The Intelligence Wing of RAB, working in close coordination with operational battalions, conducted many covert operations. These included abductions and prolonged detentions in secret facilities under the pretext of fighting militancy, narcotics, and arms trafficking. One of the most notorious sites was the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) cell, located within the RAB-1 compound. Though publicly framed as an inter-agency facility, it was de facto operated and controlled by RAB Intelligence.

Thousands of detainees were held in this facility, confined for weeks or months in pitch-dark rooms, blindfolded and handcuffed at all times. 38 Testimonies revealed that detainees were subjected to relentless torture within specialised rooms: methods included beatings, electrocution, suspension from ceilings, rotational disorientation, and even physical dismemberment. Children and mentally unwell detainees were not spared. 

Although the facility was primarily run by military personnel, police officers also participated in operations.

Detainees were brought to the TFI Cell from across the country, some directly abducted by RAB Intelligence, others transferred from DGFI or local RAB battalions. In many cases, individuals were later executed and their bodies disposed of in rivers, rendering recovery and identification virtually impossible. 

The Commission continues to receive near-daily accounts of torture at this site, reflecting the scale and consistency of its abuse. Following the 5 August 2024 change in government, concerted efforts were made to erase evidence of the facility’s true nature. Cells were remodelled to appear larger, torture chambers were dismantled, surveillance equipment was removed, and floor tiles were excavated to obliterate forensic traces. This destruction of evidence was part of a broader pattern of obstruction. RAB’s methods deeply eroded public trust in law enforcement. 

The force’s use in political repression—particularly against opposition parties, activists, and dissenters—transformed it from a crime-fighting body into a coercive political tool. Victims’ statements indicated that RAB officers acted with impunity, knowing they were unlikely to be held accountable. This emboldened conduct had far-reaching consequences: it weakened public safety by creating fear of law enforcement, discouraged victims and witnesses from coming forward, and fuelled a wider culture of institutional unaccountability.

Despite the fall of the previous government, RAB as an institution has continued to exist. The legacy of its operations—and the deep mistrust it cultivated—remains a significant barrier to democratic reform. 

The Commission believes that meaningful change will require the dismantling of RAB as a force. Its dissolution is essential to break the cycle of impunity, restore public confidence, and enable the creation of a rights-respecting security framework.

Detective Branch (DB)

The Detective Branch (DB) of the Bangladesh Police is a specialised unit responsible for intelligence gathering, investigation of serious crimes, surveillance, and, in many cases, political policing. Functioning under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and other metropolitan jurisdictions, the DB plays a central role in law enforcement operations, particularly through covert investigations and intelligence-led actions.

However, the unit has come under sustained scrutiny for grave human rights violations. Numerous allegations were made that DB personnel abducted political opponents, activists, and suspected criminals; detained them in undisclosed locations; failed to acknowledge the arrests; conducted arbitrary detentions without warrants; and held individuals incommunicado. 

Victims frequently reported custodial torture, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and transfers to other security agencies such as the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).

The DB was widely believed to be an instrument of political repression during the tenure of the Awami League Government. It was accused of targeting opposition figures—particularly members and supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami—often during politically sensitive periods such as election cycles. 

A substantial number of enforced disappearances reportedly occurred in the lead-up to national elections, reflecting the DB’s role in suppressing dissent.

Patterns of abuse were consistent across cases. Victims were often taken by plainclothes officers in unmarked vehicles, with families being denied any information about their whereabouts. Some reappeared weeks or months later, while others remained missing indefinitely or were found dead, often bearing signs of torture. 

These actions, routinely attributed to the DB—either acting alone or in collaboration with RAB and DGFI—highlights systemic abuse within Bangladesh’s security architecture. The frequency and nature of these disappearances prompted concern from both domestic and international human rights organisations.

 Although hard evidence remained elusive due to the clandestine nature of the operations, the volume of eyewitness testimonies, the uniformity of the abduction patterns, and the institutional opacity collectively presented a compelling case for accountability.

The DB’s legacy has been one of impunity and repression. The Commission's findings reinforces the urgent need for institutional reform, independent oversight, and judicial accountability. 

Ending such violations would require not only strong domestic legal mechanisms but also sustained international pressure to uphold human rights and ensure justice for victims of enforced disappearance, reports BSS.