15 injured as sacked employees attack Al-Arafah Islami Bank staff
Bank sources said most of the injured left hospital after primary treatment
At least 15 people, including the head of Human Resources at Al-Arafah Islami Bank, were injured in an attack allegedly carried out by a group of recently dismissed employees of the bank today (7 August).
HR Head Amir Hossain, who was also injured in the attack, said the incident occurred around 4:15pm at the Dainik Bangla intersection in Dhaka.
He confirmed that at least 15 were injured in the incident.
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Security guard Shahinur, one of the severely injured, has been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition.
The injured also include several other bank staff including Liton (25), Ilyas (38), Fahim (19), Rocky Hossain (26), Tofail (32), Nur Alam (42), Arif (25), Zakir Hossain (25), Sagar (29), Lutfar, Faruk, and Sohel.
Bank sources said most of the injured left hospital after primary treatment.
According to eyewitnesses, the protesters - recently dismissed from the bank - attacked bank officials as they were leaving Surma Tower after conducting official business nearby. They surrounded a car carrying three deputy managing directors (DMDs) and HR Head Amir Hossain, then assaulted the officials.
Security guards who intervened were also beaten. Police later rescued the DMDs from the scene.
The bank's head office has effectively been paralysed for the past eight working days, as the protesters have blocked the main entrance each day from morning to evening.
A case is being prepared for filing at Paltan Police Station regarding the attack, said the HR head.
The dismissed employees were among 1,414 officers who were subjected to an evaluation process, following investigations into alleged recruitment irregularities during the period when the bank was under the control of S Alam Group.
Investigations by regulatory bodies, including Bangladesh Bank, revealed widespread recruitment without proper procedures — some 600 officers had reportedly been appointed directly from the former chairman's office without management approval.
Following the 5 August uprising that intensified scrutiny, regulatory agencies instructed the bank to regularise recruitment practices. Consequently, 547 officers who failed the evaluation were dismissed.
On 28 July, many of these dismissed employees began gathering at the bank's head office, blocking entry and forming a human barricade. Their sit-in protest has continued for eight consecutive working days.
The protesters claim they were unfairly terminated without prior notice and have vowed to continue their movement until their jobs are reinstated.
A senior official from the bank's HR department said, "The evaluation process was conducted transparently and in line with regulatory instructions. The actions taken are in accordance with proper procedures, and the bank alone is not in a position to alter them. The state is directly involved in this reform process."
