Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini

National Defense Force
জাতীয় রক্ষী বাহিনী
Seal of Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini
Active1 February 1972 to 15 August 1975
DisbandedAugust 1975
CountryBangladesh
AllegiancePrime Minister of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Awami League[1]
RoleCounter-insurgency, counter-terrorism[2] anti-communism
Size16000 in 1975[1]
HeadquartersSher-E-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka
Nickname(s)Rakkhi, JRB
PatronSheikh Mujibur Rahman
Mascot(s)Index finger of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Insignia
JRB Insignia

The Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini (Bengali: জাতীয় রক্ষী বাহিনী, lit. 'National Defense Force')[1] was a Bangladeshi para-military force formed in 1972 by the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman government.

Initially formed to curb the insurgency and maintain law and order the force became involved in numerous charges of human rights abuse including political killings,[3][4][5] shooting by death squads,[6] and rape.[5] It was seen as the armed wing of the ruling Awami League[1] and it swore an oath of loyalty to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.[7]

The Rakkhi Bahini has been condemned by many academics and journalists, including Ghulam Murshid who compared it with the Gestapo,[8] and Anthony Mascarenhas who said that it was a "gang of hoodlums little different from the Nazi Brown shirts."[9] Human Rights Watch states that the institutionalized violence committed by the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini, established the culture of impunity with which security forces in independent Bangladesh continue to abuse human rights.[3] Pro Awami League commentators dismiss the charges as "myths".[10][11]

  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Emajuddin2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Alam, Aksadul (2012). "History". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  3. ^ a b "Ignoring Executions and Torture : Impunity for Bangladesh's Security Forces" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. 18 March 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference amardeshonline was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pike2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Murshid, Ghulam (2010). Muktiyuddha o tārapara: ekaṭi nirdalīẏa itihāsa মুক্তিযুদ্ধ ও তারপর একটি নির্দলীয় ইতিহাস. Dhaka: Prothoma Prakashani. p. 199. ISBN 978-984-8765-37-1.
  9. ^ Mascarenhas, Anthony (1986). Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood. London: Hodder and Stoughton. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-340-39420-5.
  10. ^ Ahsan, Syed Badrul (13 January 2014). "Myth, reality and Rakkhi Bahini". The Daily Star. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Anwar-ul-Alam was invoked but never defined (see the help page).