Dhaka: Home Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury announced today that a decision regarding the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) will be made following a meeting with all concerned parties, in response to a proposal from the UN rights body, OHCHR. He emphasized the need for collective discussions before any conclusions are drawn, stating, “We all will sit together. We will inform our decision after the sitting.”
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the announcement came during a function where the home adviser inaugurated an Online App for Visa on Arrival (VoA) or Transit Visa applications for foreign nationals at the Home Ministry conference room in the Secretariat. Additionally, the home adviser launched a process for passport applicants to make complaints through the national emergency service 999 to simplify passport verification.
The home adviser acknowledged the UN’s efforts, welcoming the fact-finding report and commenting, “They did a good work.” The report, released by the United Nations rights organ OHCHR, recommended restructuring Bangladesh’s security and policing systems in light of violence during the July-August Uprising. Specifically, the report suggested disbanding the RAB and reallocating personnel not involved in serious violations to their original units.