Online Desk  

Members of a customers’ forum staged a protest in front of the headquarters of Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC, demanding the cancellation of the appointment of the bank’s newly appointed chairman. After their previously announced human chain program was disrupted due to police restrictions, protesters regrouped and held a demonstration and rally.

Leaders of the customers’ forum participating in the protest called not only for the withdrawal of the new chairman’s appointment but also for the reinstatement of former Managing Director (MD) Omar Faruk. They expressed dissatisfaction with the bank’s management and recent administrative decisions.

Speaking at the gathering, customers’ forum president Nurun Nabi Manik said that, in the interest of the bank, the appointment of the new chairman should be revoked and the former MD should be brought back.

The speakers also demanded that Mohammad Saiful Alam, founder of S Alam Group, be brought back to Bangladesh to face allegations against him. They further called for efforts to recover funds allegedly laundered abroad. At the same time, they protested the appointment of Khurshid Alam as chairman and demanded the resignation of Mostakur Rahman.

It may be recalled that former chairman M Jubaydur Rahman resigned on the last working day before Eid. Later that same night, former deputy governor Khurshid Alam was appointed as the bank’s new chairman.

In response to the protest, additional police personnel were deployed around the bank’s headquarters, and law enforcement agencies remained on alert. Although the situation remained peaceful, the appointment of the bank’s new leadership has sparked visible dissatisfaction among a section of its customers.