| স্পেশাল ব্রাঞ্চ | |
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Government of Bangladesh |
| Headquarters | Malibagh, Dhaka |
| Agency executive | |
| Parent agency | Bangladesh Police |
The Special Branch (SB) is an intelligence agency of Bangladesh Police, being a part of the Bangladeshi intelligence community. The chief of the SB has the rank of Additional Inspector General, equivalent to Secretary or Major General. Md Shah Alam, Deputy Inspector General of Bangladesh Police, is the current head of Special Branch. [1]
As the Congress movement was taking off, Dufferin became aware of the inadequacy of the system of collection of political intelligence and saw in the Indian National Congress, a threat to the stability of the empire, as there was no other political movement at that time raging in the country. In response to Dufferin's proposal, the Secretary of State for India issued an order on 22 December 1887 for setting up a Central Special Branch and also Special Branches of the Police Department at the headquarters of each provincial Government.
In the beginning, the Central Special Branch did not have any unit solely under their control. They were merely collating and compiling their reports received from the provincial Special Branches. But in the far-flung areas of the Empire, there was need for collecting military intelligence.
In 1901, it was therefore, decided that the Central Special Branch which was responsible only for the collection of political intelligence should be expanded to include a small staff of selective detective agents, to be employed to monitor political movements as also to deal with those forms of organised crimes which extended beyond the limits of a single province.
It gradually came to light that the ramification of the underground conspiratorial organisation were not confined to Calcutta alone but had spread to the districts, then the idea of forming Intelligence Branches at district headquarters was seriously considered. As early as in 1908, the Special Branch had set up some centres in places where the existence of underground organisations had come to light. Such centres were at Midnapore, Barishal, Deoghar, Kushtia, Khulna, Jessore. Each of the centres was in-charge of an Inspector who was detailed from Calcutta and remained stationed at the Centre till he was relieved by another. On the eve of the First World War, however, it was felt necessary that there should be a senior officer in-charge of the Intelligence Branch in the districts. In some of the affected districts, Additional Superintendents of Police were posted to head the district Intelligence Branches. Where there was no Additional Superintendent of Police, the Superintendent of Police was designated as Superintendent of Police in-charge of the District Intelligence Branch. The bigger districts like Midnapore, Dhaka, Chittagong etc. had one Additional Superintendent of Police in-charge of the District Intelligence Branch. The duty of the Intelligence Branch of the District Police was twofold:
The methodology of collection and dissemination of intelligence and the system of reporting from District Branch to higher-ups were gradually evolved and codified over the years. It, however, goes without saying that the Intelligence Branch in Bengal showed exceptional ability in dealing with the terrorist violence during the period before Independence. Its excellent source work and innumerable channels of information eventually resulted in unearthing of all the groups responsible for terrorist violence.
The present Additional Inspector General of Police (Add IGP) is Md. Monirul Islam, bpm (bar), ppm (bar). The headquarters is a 10-storied building located at Malibagh, Rajarbagh, Dhaka, is known as KPI (Key Point Installation). The most important wing of the force charged with security planning as well as functions of intelligence-gathering and counterintelligence. There is City Special Branch (City SB) for the city areas and District Special Branch (DSB) for the districts. Major responsibilities of this branch are to meet up any intelligence required from government, registration and control of foreigners, perform verification role, give protection to the VVIPs & VIPs, intelligence gathering, immigration control etc. [2]
Officer training is the responsibility of the Special Branch Training School. It was established in September 1992 in Uttara, Dhaka. It relocated in June 2002 to Malibagh, and again in December 2008 to Rajarbagh Police Lines of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Finally, SB build a permanent training school in uttara with accommodation and advance training facilities. The school trains officers in courses on intelligence-gathering, surveillance, immigration control, and VVIP protection. [3]
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security and intelligence in British, Commonwealth, Irish, and other police forces. A Special Branch unit acquires and develops intelligence, usually of a political or sensitive nature, and conducts investigations to protect the State from perceived threats of subversion, particularly terrorism and other extremist political activity.
The Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, commonly known by its acronym DGFI, is the defense intelligence agency of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, tasked with collection, collation and evaluation of strategic and topographic information, primarily through human intelligence (HUMINT). As one of the principal members of the Bangladesh intelligence community, the DGFI reports to the Director-General under the executive authority of the head of government, the Prime Minister, and is primarily focused on providing intelligence for the Prime Minister, the Cabinet of Bangladesh, and the Armed Forces of Bangladesh.
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The Karnataka State Police is the law enforcement agency for the Indian state of Karnataka. It was established in 1965 and is headquartered in Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka. The KSP is a state police force that works under the purview of the Department of Home Affairs, Government of Karnataka. The department is headed by the Director General and Inspector General of Police.
The Bangladesh Intelligence Community is a group of several intelligence agencies charged with carrying out intelligence-gathering activities considered necessary for the conduct of foreign relations and national security of Bangladesh including other functions vital for the national security of Bangladesh. Member organizations of the Bangladesh intelligence community include military intelligence of Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police and civilian intelligence and analysis offices within executive ministries. The I.C. is headed by a Director heading each Intelligence agency, who reports to the Prime Minister of the Bangladesh.The organisation and structure of the modern Bangladesh intelligence community has developed its structures from agencies that continued to function after Independence from Pakistan. Bangladesh intelligence agencies today are the National Security Intelligence, the Special Branch, Army Intelligence, Air Force Intelligence, Naval Intelligence and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI). During the 1971 Bangladesh Independence War, the Bangladesh Forces in the 11 BDF Sectors also developed an intelligence network within its organisation of guerrilla combat teams that provided the sectors with essential local intelligence. However, the intelligence agency personnel have been and still continues to be recruited and trained from within the particular agency. Among their varied responsibilities, the members of the Community collect and produce foreign and domestic intelligence, contribute to military planning, and perform espionage.
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Police Staff College, the apex training institution for the senior Police officers of Bangladesh Police, was established in 2000 and becomes a statutory organization under Police Staff College Act, 2002. The college is a centre for research studies on police subjects and shares ideas and experiences with similar institutions in and outside the country.
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The Special Security and Protection Battalion (SPBN) is a specialized unit of the Bangladesh Police. The battalion provides protection to the President of Bangladesh, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and any person designated as VIP by the Government including visiting foreign dignitaries. It is also responsible for the security of VIPs’ offices and residences and venues of programs. It works alongside Special Security Force, Special Branch, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and President Guard Regiment.
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Habibur Rahman is a Bangladeshi police officer. He is the 35th Commissioner of DMP. Prior to join here he was head of the Tourist Police. From 2019 to 2022, he was Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Dhaka Range, and DIG of administration & discipline at the police headquarters in Dhaka.
Md. Monirul Islam is former additional inspector general of the Bangladesh Police who served as head of the Special Branch.
Harun-or-Rashid is a Bangladeshi police officer and Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). On 13 August 2024, he was named as one of the 7 accused in the illegal shooting and killing of various students across Dhaka during the Bangladesh Quota Reform Movement along with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Minister Obaidul Qader, former Minister Assaduzaman Khan Kamal and Police officer Biplob Kumar Sarkar. He is known for his controversial actions.
Mohammed Nazibur Rahman is an Additional Inspector General of Bangladesh Police and former rector of Police Staff College, Bangladesh. He is the former Principal of Bangladesh Police Academy. He is a former commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police and director of the National Security Intelligence. He had previously served in the Bangladesh High Commission to India and was the first chief of the Bangladesh Police's Anti-Terrorism Unit.
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