POBNEWS24, Dhaka Apr 8, 2024 : Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) chief coordinator Cheosim Bom was arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). He was arrested from his house in Sulak area of Bandarban Sadar Upazila on Sunday (April 7).
Colonel Sajjad, the captain of RAB-15, gave this information in a press conference held at the Bandarban Zilla Parishad auditorium. He termed this operation as an important step in countering the activities of KNF.
“The organization was formed by Royal Lin Bom and Cheosim Bom as a cultural organization in association with KNF chief Nathan Bom;” Colonel Sajjad also said. Earlier, two suspected KNF members were arrested along with weapons.
On Saturday (April 6), more than a hundred members conducted an operation in Ruma and Thanchi upazilas. RAB conducted the operation as part of a larger anti-terror initiative in Bandarban. RAB’s Legal and Media Wing Director Khandaker Al Moin informed the media about the launch of this campaign.
In the press conference, the rescue of the kidnapped manager of Ruma branch of Sonali Bank Nizam Uddin and the criminal activities of KNF including bank robbery in Thanchi upazila were highlighted. In view of these activities, it is reported that eight cases have been registered in Ruma and Thanchi police stations.
Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF)
A new armed organization in Bandarban, the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), made its official debut in April 2022.
According to KNF announcements and statements made to the media at various times, they represent at least six ethnic minorities in Bandarban and Rangamati districts.
At that time, they demanded a separate state on Facebook consisting of Baghaichhari, Barkal, Jurachhari and Bilaichhari of Rangamati and Rowangchhari, Ruma, Thanchi, Lama and Alikadam upazilas of Bandarban.
Meanwhile, law enforcers had earlier told the media that the KNF had provided armed training to members of Jamaat-ul-Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, a new militant outfit in the plains, at their hideout in the hills.
Law enforcement forces raided that hideout in 2023 and arrested several members of Jamaat Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya and KNF.
US embargo and RAB
It should be noted that on December 10, 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on seven former and current officers of RAB for human rights violations.
The country’s Treasury Department and State Department issued the ban separately. Among these officials are former Director General of RAB and former IG of Bangladesh Police Benazir Ahmed, former Director General of RAB and current IG of Bangladesh Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, former Additional Director General (Operations) Khan Mohammad Azad, former Additional Director General (Operations) Tofail Mostafa Sarwar, former Additional Director General (Operations) Md. Jahangir Alam and former Additional Director General (Operations). Anwar Latif Khan has been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department. The US State Department has sanctioned Benazir Ahmed and Miftah Uddin Ahmed, former RAB 7 captain, in a separate announcement.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Bangladesh has been accused of serious human rights abuses in the government’s fight against narcotics, according to a statement released by the US Treasury Department. It said that they undermine the rule of law, the dignity of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the economic prosperity of the people of Bangladesh. It poses a threat to US national security interests. RAB is a joint task force formed in 2004. Their work includes ensuring internal security, gathering secret information about the activities of criminals and conducting investigations at the behest of the government.
The statement added that non-governmental organizations or NGOs in Bangladesh are alleging that RAB and other law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh are responsible for the disappearance of 600 people since 2009 and extrajudicial killings and torture since 2018. According to some reports, the victims of these incidents are members of opposition parties, journalists and human rights activists.
