RAB under scrutiny

There is a tendency in Bangladesh to drown in an issue when it hits the news headlines. It may be a political issue, or it may be related to law and order. This time, it is the elite crime fighting Rapid Action Battalion, or RAB as it is “popularly” known.

I decided to write this piece because I always disagreed with this habit of drowning ourselves with an issue indiscriminately without proper study.

Indeed, the seven murders in Narayanganj are inhuman acts and those responsible – even if that includes high-ups, elected or unelected people – should be punished. The involvement of three defence officers working for RAB is absolutely unacceptable. But has it been proved yet? Why malign a force which has delivered more in safeguarding the citizens by fighting so-called Islamist terrorists like Bangla Bhai and other wanted criminals?

True, one bad apple spoils the lot, but when an organisation dedicates its life to safeguarding the citizens, why should it be disbanded? As our love for attacking anybody in a tight corner has become a national character, we have recently put all our efforts in denouncing RAB.

What is ironic is that politicians who created RAB now want it to be disbanded. Like the old saying goes – should we cut off our head if we have a headache?

In a country where malpractice, or more crudely, corrupt practices are in abundance, a few errant men in black uniform might have been involved in a crime, but why blame the whole body? The government has moved to deal with the three, and that is possibly the best way to deal with the situation.

If I may add a very personal note, RAB once helped me fight a fictitious case filed against me and ended the matter. It does such favours to many of our distressed citizens and if we look, we will find the list is very, very long.

Our actions are only demoralising the elite crime-fighting force as we never sing when they bring in laurels, saying it is their duty. Don’t we all need a pat on our back sometimes? As I write this piece, RAB has acted swiftly in the Feni incident. We will not say: “Hey, great work done,” as we feel it is their duty.

Let me quote some official statistics. Between 2006 and May 2014, RAB accomplished marvels for the nation. This includes the arrests of the JMB leaders, the yaba king and queen, and the Pakistani leader of a suicide squad and his local accomplices, rescuing kidnapped children and men, busting drug rings, and seizing huge amounts of explosives from Dhaka. They have arrested 1,101 Islamist militants so far.

What if the explosives were not seized and the terrorists were able to use them? What would have happened to the country? It would simply be hell! But we were saved from that.

RAB is blamed for extra-judicial killings, but officials deny these allegations firmly, saying shootouts happen in self-defence. But since the issue is hot, there is scope to look into the matter deeply. And if found correct, then measures have to be taken to stop such killings. Similar killings are not uncommon in other parts of the world, including the US. Statistics show that 826 people were killed in shootouts with RAB since 2004. The highest number of killings, 195, took place in 2006, during the BNP-Jamaat rule.

But if we take into consideration the seizure of explosives, weapons, or drugs, isn’t it protecting human rights?

There are similar forces in many other countries including SWAT in the United States and several in India with its famous Black Cats.

The whole episode has given us an opportunity to study the activities of RAB and its officials, and take corrective measures. Disbanding it is not the solution. Let us think twice before taking any hasty decision.