SRB begins operations; logo, flag and uniform to change
DG orders transparency and accountability in all operations.
The Special Response Battalion (SRB) has formally begun operations as a specialised unit under Bangladesh Police, replacing the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), with changes to its logo, flag and uniform now underway.
The transition follows publication of the Special Response Battalion Act, 2026, in the government gazette yesterday (15 September), formally dissolving RAB and establishing the SRB.
Addressing SRB members at its headquarters this afternoon (16 September), Director General Ahsan Habib Palash said the force's logo, flag and uniform would be changed under the new law.
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The changes will be implemented after government approval, according to a statement issued by the force.
Members of SRB battalions across the country joined the programme through video conference.
Palash also directed members to ensure transparency and accountability in all operations and formally announced the beginning of the force's activities under its new identity.
He urged members to perform their duties with integrity and professionalism while ensuring public safety and upholding the law.
The force has already started using the SRB name in its official communications. Its current logo retains the previous design but replaces "RAB" with "SRB Bangladesh", although the director general said changes to the logo remain under process.
Under the new law, RAB's personnel, powers, facilities, funds, property, liabilities, contracts and records are transferred to the SRB. The new force can investigate offences, conduct searches, make arrests and seize property in accordance with the law.
The law places the SRB under Bangladesh Police and provides for its own flag, emblem and uniform. It also includes a grievance redress mechanism for complaints against force members and internal grievances.
Parliament passed the SRB Bill on 10 September by voice vote amid objections from opposition lawmakers.
Opposition members had argued that transferring RAB's personnel, infrastructure and other resources to the SRB could retain much of the former force's structure under a new name. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed rejected that argument, saying the SRB was a separate force established under a new legal framework.
RAB was formed in 2004. The UN human rights office recommended its dissolution in its February 2025 fact-finding report on human rights violations linked to the 2024 July uprising.
A special prayer was also held at the SRB headquarters today after Asr prayers to mark the beginning of the force's operations.
