Ex-army chief urges disbanding RAB and DGFI over alleged extrajudicial killings
“During training, army members are dehumanised so that they gradually forget to see humans as humans and start considering them as targets. At firing ranges, they shoot at human-shaped targets to remove psychological barriers to killing,” the ex-army chief said
Former Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen (retd) Iqbal Karim Bhuiya has called for the disbanding of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), citing allegations of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings under the previous Awami League government.
He made the remarks today (9 February) while testifying at the second day of the trial of former army officer Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan before Tribunal-1 over charges of crimes against humanity.
The two-member bench was led by Judge Md Golam Mortuza Majumdar, with Judge Md Shafiul Alam Mahmud as the other member.
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"I believe RAB should be disbanded immediately. If that is not possible, army personnel serving in RAB should be returned to the military," Lt Gen Bhuiya said.
"I also want DGFI to be disbanded because this organisation, having given rise to a culture of killings, has lost its legitimacy," he added.
Known as "IKB," Bhuiya served as Bangladesh's army chief from 25 June 2012 to 25 June 2015 during the Awami League government. His testimony began yesterday, and partial cross-examination concluded today. The tribunal has scheduled the next session for 18 February.
Today, Bhuiya testified about the dehumanising training army personnel undergo.
"During training, army members are dehumanised so that they gradually forget to see humans as humans and start considering them as targets. At firing ranges, they shoot at human-shaped targets to remove psychological barriers to killing. Keeping this in mind, army personnel should never have been integrated with civilian police," he said.
He described the creation of RAB in 2003 as a "grave and disastrous decision," saying, "The training army members received was unsuitable for service in RAB. Between 2003 and 2006, extrajudicial killings occurred. Before RAB's formation, many killings happened during Operation Clean Heart."
Operation Clean Heart was a joint security operation conducted from 16 October 2002 to 9 January 2003 under the BNP-Jamaat coalition government. The operation was later indemnified by the 2003 Joint Operations Indemnity Act, which the High Court struck down as unconstitutional a decade later through a writ petition ruling.
On 14 January, Tribunal-1 ordered the start of the trial against Ziaul Ahsan with three specific charges. The first allegation states that on 11 July 2011, Sajal and two others were killed in Gazipur Sadar's Pubail area in Ahsan's direct presence.
The second charge holds him responsible for the killing of 50 people, including Nazrul and Mallik, in Barguna's Pathorghata upazila from 2010 to 2013.
The third charge also relates to the killings of 50 individuals.
Ziaul Ahsan was remanded in this case on 23 December 2024.
