Lutfozzaman Babar

Lutfozzaman Babar (Bengali: লুৎফুজ্জামান বাবর, born 10 October 1958) is a Bangladeshi politician, who served as the Minister of Home Affairs in the Second cabinet of Khaleda Zia from 2001 to 2006, as a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Babar was the youngest member in the cabinet of BNP – four party alliance led coalition government, and received media and public attraction alike due to his alternative smartness, political contributions and extraordinary decision-making. He was also among the pioneers in forming the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) which is an anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh police. He formed RAB to combat organized crime, terrorism, and other serious offenses within the country.

Over the last 15 years during Sheikh Hasina Regime, this elite force was widely misused by the government to secure their organiged crime. This specialised crime busting unit became a household name for alleged extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture of opposition political figures and government critics.

Throughout his tenure as a politician, Babar has worked hard for the whole country. He has significantly reformed the Bangladesh Police and enhanced their capacities. During his time, Bangladesh Police has received overall logistics support to maintain law and order in the society.

However, in December 2024, Babar was acquitted by high court in August 21 grenade attack case and 10-truck arms haul case. Under the instruction of illegal Awami-government, he was also sentenced to a further 8 years in prison on 12 October 2021 on cases of corruption. In October 2024, he was also acquitted in the graft case. On 12 September 2024, Babar was granted bail in four cases, including the murder of the former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria and attempted murder of former railway minister Suranjit Sen Gupta. Babar was proven innocent and on 16 January 2025, he was released from jail.