Rab-cop tension reaches its peak

The Rapid Action Battalion has complained to the home ministry of police excesses against its members, saying the prevailing situation is so tense that it might go out of hand anytime soon.

It has alleged that police on several occasions assaulted Rab personnel even after knowing the identities of the elite force members.

“In some cases, police hit Rab members with sticks and even rifles,” reads a letter from Rab Director General Benazir Ahmed to Senior Home Secretary Mozammel Haque Khan.

A list of six such incidents was attached with the letter, dated September 27.

Benazir Ahmed, himself a top police official, requested the senior home secretary to take action against the persons at fault and other necessary steps to avoid any unwarranted incident.

The letter, a copy of which has been obtained by The Daily Star, reads that the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) is an independent elite force under Bangladesh Police.

The force is comprised of officials and employees of seven security and law enforcement agencies -- armed forces, Border Guard Bangladesh, Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Ansar and Coast Guard.

Since its formation, Rab has been playing important roles in curbing militancy, arrest of armed criminals, recovery of narcotics and even in maintaining law and order.

From different Rab camps across the country, a large number of its operational, intelligence and other teams -- uniformed or plainclothes, with or without arms -- move on government vehicles to carry out operations or government duties, the letter says.

“Recently, while carrying out operations/government activities, the operational and intelligence team members of Rab faced indecent verbal abuse, insulting comments about different forces and even physical assaults by some police members. In some incidents, they [policemen] struck Rab members with sticks and rifles making them to bleed,” the letter reads.

“Reviewing the mentioned incidents, it has been found that most of the time police members swooped on Rab members despite getting their [Rab men's] identities.”

The letters says, “In almost all cases, it was possible to avoid major untoward incidents as Rab members showing utmost patience, professionalism and skills refrained from reacting and tried to calm down the situation.

“Now the Rab members are under impression that no action has been taken against the police personnel responsible because despite repeated correspondence either no administrative action was taken against the police personnel responsible or if any action was taken, it was not communicated to the Rab.”

It is demoralising the elite force members and hampering their operational activities. So, if such incidents happen further, there might be a massive untoward incident which will harm the image of police and even the government.

Contacted on Wednesday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal refused to make any comment on this, terming it an internal issue of police and Rab.

A top home ministry official, wishing anonymity, however, said they took the issue seriously, and were trying to resolve the problems.

Since Rab's formation in 2004, there have been tensions between police and members of the elite force, according to officials. The issue, however, rarely made headlines.

Talking to The Daily Star, a number of police officials played down the alleged rivalry between the two law enforcement units.

They think behavioural problems of some individuals might have led to such incidents and there is no need for taking those seriously.

They claimed that police, too, have reports of abuse by Rab members.

Wishing anonymity, a top official said that as Rab is a wing under the police, the Rab chief should have informed the matter to the inspector general of police instead of writing to the senior home secretary. 

In the list attached with the          letter, the Rab DG mentioned an incident that took place on September 26.

That day, two of its members from the communication wing of the Rab headquarters went to Sirajganj. When they were returning on a microbus after working on “Rab prison inmate database”, they found huge traffic jams in Korotia area of Tangail due to a road accident.

As they were advancing overtaking stranded vehicles, a police man stopped the microbus. Even though the driver identified him to be a Rab member, the policeman dragged him out and struck him with a stick, leaving him injured.

The cop also seized the microbus saying why it did not carry Rab monogram. Later, a team from Tangail camp of Rab rescued them.

In another incident on August 3, two Rab-4 members on a motorcycle were on an assignment to gather intelligence. When they reached in front of Delta Hospital at Tolarbagh, a traffic sergeant stopped them and asked for the motorcycle's papers.

The Rab men showed their identity cards and said the papers are at the battalion. The sergeant seized the motorcycle but went somewhere leaving the bike there.  

Later, a senior ASP from Rab-4 went to the spot and contacted the sergeant and asked him to meet there. As the sergeant did not show up,           the senior ASP returned to the battalion with the Rab men and the motorcycle.

“Later, the police headquarters wrote to Rab asking for an explanation of the incident, which is unfortunate,” the Rab DG wrote.

On April 13, the Rab-3 company commander, who is a major, was on duty relating to Pahela Baishakh security at Ramna Batamul. A Rab constable informed him that a police official had asked them to move all Rab vehicles from the parking lot in front of Ramna restaurant.

The major then asked the constable to keep the Rab vehicles with the cars of other law enforcement agencies.

Around two to three minutes into the conversation, the constable phoned the major again and informed him that a deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police was hurling abuse. “You son of a b****! Son of a p**! Take the vehicles away.”

The DC then asked the major's driver whose car it was. As the driver said it was the major's, the DC said, “Rab's major, lieutenant colonels -- all are thieves.”

As major approached the DC, he heard that the police official was calling the driver of Rab ambulance “son of a b****.”

When the major told the DC that he would take away the vehicles, the police official said, “I am not talking to you.”