Islami Bank officials stage hourlong blockade on Dhaka-Ctg highway over mass termination
By 11:45am, over 2,000 officials, employees, and their families occupied the highway, bringing traffic on both lanes to a standstill
Hundreds of Islami Bank officials who blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Faujdarhat today (4 October), demanding reinstatement of around 5,500 colleagues who were terminated or made Officers on Special Duty (OSD) after boycotting a "special assessment test."
After about an hour, the blockade was lifted following assurances from the police. However, the protesters issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the bank management, warning of an indefinite work stoppage starting Sunday if their demands are not met.
The demonstration began around 11am with a nearly one-kilometre-long human chain. By 11:45am, protesters sat on the highway, halting traffic on both lanes and causing severe congestion. More than 2,000 officials, employees, and their family members joined the protest.
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Chanting slogans such as "We want justice," "No place for discrimination in my Sonar Bangla," and "We don't accept illegal management," the demonstrators announced a seven-point demand.
Their demands include reinstating those terminated without show-cause notices, halting punitive transfers, ensuring a discrimination-free and apolitical work environment, scrapping what they described as biased and manipulative assessment tests, and investigating alleged harassment of Chattogram-based officers.
They also called for the withdrawal of what they claimed were false cases and general diaries filed against them, and the unconditional reinstatement of all officers from Chattogram.
The conflict stems from a controversial "special assessment test" introduced earlier last month by Islami Bank management to evaluate mid- and lower-tier officials. Many employees, particularly from Chattogram, boycotted the exam, calling it discriminatory, politically motivated, and designed to sideline a section of the workforce.
The management later terminated hundreds of staff or designated them as OSD, sparking widespread anger and allegations of bias and harassment within the country's largest Shariah-based private bank.
Meanwhile, Islami Bank Bangladesh's official Facebook page has been hacked for the second time in less than 24 hours, with the hacking group "Team MS 470X" again claiming responsibility.
Both the profile and cover photos of the page were changed after the hacking, the bank confirmed in a post on its Facebook page yesterday (3 October).
The group, identifying itself as "Team MS 470X," claimed responsibility through a post at 5:42am, warning that they were monitoring the bank's operations and might soon launch cyberattacks on its website and Facebook page, reports UNB.
A post appeared on the hacked page saying: "Due to the unethical behaviour of the active authorities of Bangladesh Islami Bank, MS 470X has taken control of their page. The future of thousands of workers will be protected. The unjust terminations must be reconsidered immediately."
