Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini
The Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini (Bengali: জাতীয় রক্ষী বাহিনী, lit. 'National Defense Force') was a Bangladeshi para-military force formed in 1972 by the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman government.
| National Defense Force জাতীয় রক্ষী বাহিনী | |
|---|---|
Seal of Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini | |
| Active | 1 February 1972 to 15 August 1975 |
| Disbanded | August 1975 |
| Country | Bangladesh |
| Allegiance | Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Awami League |
| Role | Counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism anti-communism |
| Size | 16000 in 1975 |
| Headquarters | Sher-E-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka |
| Nickname(s) | Rakkhi, JRB |
| Patron | Sheikh Mujibur Rahman |
| Mascot(s) | Index finger of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman |
| Insignia | |
| JRB Insignia | |
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, shooting by death squads, and rape. It was seen as the armed wing of the ruling Awami League and it swore an oath of loyalty to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The Rakkhi Bahini has been condemned by many academics and journalists, including Ghulam Murshid who compared it with the Gestapo, and Anthony Mascarenhas who said that it was a "gang of hoodlums little different from the Nazi Brown shirts." 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. Pro Awami League commentators dismiss the charges as "myths".