Rangpur: Noting that some Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members individually got involved in the sensational seven-murder incident of Narayanganj, its Director General Benazir Ahmed on Friday claimed that it did not tarnish the force's image as a whole.

He made the remarks while speaking at a programme marking the distribution of blankets among the poor at Rangpur Water Development Board ground.

A Narayanganj court on January 16 convicted 35 people, including 25 former Rab officials, of abducting and killing seven people, including Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Kumar and sentenced 26 of them to death and the rest to different terms of imprisonment.

Benazir said it was RAB which first conducted investigation into the sever-murder incident and suspended its officials involved in it as a legal action. "RAB never tolerates any injustice. Many RAB members have already been jailed, suspended and sacked on various charges," he said.

Claiming that the elite force has been working for people's welfare for the last 13 years, he said it will be kept as a disciplined force at any cost.

The RAB chief also said his force is working with police to debunk the mystery behind the killing of Gaibandha MP Manjurul Islam Liton. "RAB will continue drives until the real killers are arrested," he said.

Mentioning that most of the militants hail from northern region, he said RAB in association with Dhaka University has taken an initiative to conduct a research on why they get involved in militancy.

Benazir also said the number of militants in the country is now less than 1,000 and most of them are now in jail.

Meanwhile, South Asia Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) Meenakshi Ganguly urged Bangladesh government to disband RAB and replace the force with a rights-respecting force.

In her recent article posted on official website of the HRW titled 'After Narayanganj verdict, Bangladesh should disband RAB' Meenakshi mentioned that while in opposition the Awami League called for the disbanding of RAB.

She mentioned that the prosecution of RAB members is a welcome step towards ending violence and impunity. "Yet it shouldn't only happen when the victim is a ruling party member."