As part of its newly declared 24-point Manifesto for a New Bangladesh, the National Citizen Party (NCP) has pledged to disband the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and establish a new legal framework to prevent the use of intelligence agencies for political repression or human rights violations.
The announcement came during a mass gathering at the Central Shaheed Minar, where NCP Convenor Nahid Islam unveiled the party’s political vision following the month-long July March. The sixth point of the manifesto, titled “People-Centered Law Enforcement,” outlines a comprehensive reform agenda aimed at transforming Bangladesh’s policing and internal security structures into transparent, accountable, and rights-respecting institutions.
“We want a Bangladesh where no law enforcement agency can abduct citizens without warrants or operate through fear,” the manifesto states. “RAB will be disbanded, and a clear legal framework will be created to prevent intelligence services from being abused for political purposes.”
The NCP emphasized that policing must shift from its colonial origins to a democratic model rooted in accountability. As part of this transformation, the party promises to update outdated laws such as the Police Act of 1861 and Criminal Procedure Code of 1898, ensuring they reflect modern rights standards.
Key proposed measures include:
- Formation of a Permanent Police Commission to oversee transfers, postings, and to prevent political manipulation.
- Mandatory use of body cameras by on-duty officers.
- Prohibition of arrests without warrants except under exceptional circumstances, with officers required to disclose their identity and rank during detainment.
- Institutionalization of community-based policing and human rights-centric training.
- Introduction of strict protocols on uniform use and public accountability for all security personnel.
The manifesto also proposes repealing impunity for elite forces and calls for the creation of legal mechanisms that ensure every citizen’s protection against arbitrary arrest, torture, and surveillance.
The decision to disband RAB—a paramilitary force long accused of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings—marks one of the boldest institutional reform pledges by a political party in Bangladesh in recent years. While critics of the current regime have frequently raised demands for its dissolution, this is the first time a political organization has officially included it in a national manifesto.
As NCP positions itself as a movement for structural transformation in the post-July Uprising landscape, its stance on law enforcement reform is likely to spark significant public and political debate.
