Bangladesh’s cabinet has approved a draft law to abolish the Rapid Action Battalion, or RAB, and establish a new specialised police unit called the Special Response Battalion (SRB). The draft of the Special Response Battalion (SRB) Act, 2026 was approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat on the evening of August 17, 2026. The Cabinet Division later announced the decision in a press release.

According to the release, the proposed law provides for forming the SRB under the police force after repealing the RAB law. It also includes provisions for a multi-party grievance redress committee to address complaints from citizens and internal grievances among members of the unit. The SRB is described as a new specialised unit operating under the police force.

The draft law provides for transferring RAB-related personnel, orders, powers, authority, benefits, funds, property, accounts, records and other associated assets to the SRB. Until new regulations are issued, existing regulations on departmental procedures related to the SRB will remain in force with necessary adaptations, according to the cabinet announcement.