Hundreds gather in Motijheel demanding job reinstatement in five weak banks, return of S Alam

Several hundred laid-off officials from five banks that were under the control of S Alam Group have staged a sit-in in front of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited in the Dilkusha area of Motijheel demanding reinstatement of their jobs. 

Protestors also demanded that ownership of the bank be returned to the previous owner, S Alam, and that the current board be dissolved, saying these are their three main demands.

The officials, mostly from the Patiya area of Chattogram, began their protest around 10am today (19 April).

After the passage of the Bank Resolution Act 2026, which allows former owners of the five merged banks to return, the laid-off officials have become active on social media. They have reportedly been sharing AI-generated images of current top bank officials and attempting to create controversy.

According to bank sources, over the past two days, people from different areas of Chattogram were brought to Dhaka, who stayed in various hotels to take part in the protest in the capital's banking area. Hundreds more arrived in Dhaka last night in microbuses.

At the human chain, Al-Amin from Patiya said they had been working for a long time but were dismissed without reason during the tenure of the interim government after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government. He demanded reinstatement of their jobs.

At a recent human chain organised by Islami Bank's customer forum, speakers alleged that S Alam used state machinery to take control of the bank in 2017. They also alleged that legitimate owners were forced out through intimidation and that foreign shareholders were driven away.

They further said that the removal of those they described as illegally appointed should not be considered a violation of human rights. They claimed that people from 63 districts were deprived, while jobs were given overnight to individuals from Patiya and Chattogram.

Speakers at the rally alleged that after taking control of the bank, S Alam appointed 7,224 people from Chattogram between 2017 and August 2024 in various positions, including more than 4,500 from Patiya alone.

To assess the qualifications and skills of those appointed, the bank arranged an evaluation test on 27 September last year through the Institute of Business Administration of the University of Dhaka. A total of 5,385 individuals were asked to take part, but 4,971 of them did not attend, defying the bank's decision.