Tension outside Islami Bank as sacked employees demand reinstatement, customers push back
The dismissed officials from the Chattogram region demanded reinstatement, while several hundred customers were protesting against the 'conspiracy of S Alam's looters'
Dismissed Islami Bank officials appointed during S Alam's tenure and customers under the banner of Sachetan Grahak Forum (Conscious Customers Forum) held counter sit-ins in front of the bank's head office in Motijheel today (13 September), with both sides making competing demands.
The dismissed officials from the Chattogram region were demanding reinstatement, while several hundred customers were protesting against what they described as the "conspiracy of S Alam's looters".
Both groups began their programmes in front of Islami Bank Tower around 9am and left the area around 12:50pm.
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Face-off between customers and dismissed staff
Sachetan Grahak Forum opposed the dismissed employees' demand for reinstatement and called for the bank's normal operations to continue and action to be taken against irregularities.
Shamim Hasnain, vice-president of the forum, said they took position in front of the bank at night after learning that the dismissed employees planned to hold a programme there.
"During S Alam's tenure, many were appointed through irregularities and forged certificates. After 5 August 2024, the bank took initiatives to verify the certificates of these appointments. There was also an initiative to retain qualified candidates through examinations. But they did not take part in the exam," he said.
"Now they are creating chaos in front of the bank demanding their jobs back. The Grahak Forum will not accept such chaos in front of the bank," Shamim said.
Meanwhile, Anwar, one of the dismissed employees, said they had been living a "subhuman existence" since losing their jobs.
Claiming that the bank's new board of directors formed after 5 August 2024 dismissed them, he said, "We will not return home until we get our jobs back. We will return home only with our jobs back."
Regarding allegations that some employees were appointed using forged certificates, Anwar said, "Let Bangladesh Bank investigate and submit a report. If our appointments are proven illegal, we will return all the money earned from the job."
"Action can be taken against those who have issues against them. But there is no meaning in dismissing everyone together like this," he said.
The rival programmes created a tense situation in front of the Islami Bank head office in Motijheel.
