Since its formation nearly two decades ago to curb organised crime and terrorism, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has been dogged by serious allegations of human rights violations. Rights activists and critics accused it of morphing into a “government death squad” that operated with impunity.

The timing of the US sanction on Gen Aziz Ahmed raises many questions.

No credible and independent investigation has so far been carried out into any of the alleged incidents of enforced disappearance in Bangladesh.