Journalist leaders on Wednesday demanded withdrawal of restrictions on journalists entry to Bangladesh Bank as early as possible.
They said if journalists are allowed to enter freely inside the central bank as in the past to perform their professional duty it would serve the purpose of the government.
The journalist leaders raised the demand at a meeting of Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) in the capital.
Presided over by ERF president Refayet Ullah Mirdha, its general secretary Abul Kashem moderated the discussions.
Ruhul Amin Gazi, president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), general secretary Quader Gani Chowdhury, Jatiya Press Club general secretary Shyamol Dutta, Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) president Sohail Haider Chowdhury, Sajjad Alam Khan Topu, Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) president Syed Shukur Ali Shuvo, general secretary Mohiuddin Ahmed, ERF former president and The Financial Express Editor Shamsul Haque Zahid, UNB Editor Farid Hossain, former ERF president Monowar Hossain, former ERF general secretaries Ziaur Rahman and SM Rashidul Islam spoke, among others.
Ruhul Amin Gazi stressed the need for the journalists community to get united to protest against restrictions.
The restriction was imposed as part of Bangladesh Banks efforts to hide scams, including reserve heist and theft of gold from BBs vault, said Quader Gani Chowdhury, general secretary of the BFUJ.
Shamsul Huq Zahid, Editor of the Financial Express and founding convener of ERF; Mohiuddin Ahmed, DRU general secretary, along with SM Rashidul Islam and Ziaur Rahman, former general secretaries of the ERF, also spoke.
National Press Club general secretary Shyamal Dutta raised question about a business group, which currently owns seven to eight banks and has recently taken charge of another bank.
He asked, "How is this possible?"
Instead of taking steps on this chaos, Bangladesh Bank is concentrating more on creating obstacles for journalists, he said.
The ban was slapped on journalists for hiding the weakness and inability of the central bank governor, said Sohel Haider Chowdhury, president of the Dhaka Union of Journalists.
The BB governor is yet to show success in any index, he added.
Bangladesh Bank should provide journalists with free access to its offices, said Sajjad Alam Khan Topu, former general secretary of ERF.
The central bank is actually harming itself by imposing the restriction, said Farid Hossain, editor of UNB.
"We will assume that there is something wrong when Bangladesh Bank tries to hide information instead of sharing it with journalists," said Syed Shukur Ali Shuvo, president of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).
Obaidullah Rony, special reporter of the Daily Samakal, presented a paper on countrys banking sectors prevailing situation.
