Agitating depositors of Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC, under the banner of the Islami Bank Sachetan Grahak Forum (Conscious Depositors' Forum), on Tuesday vowed to continue their protest until their seven-point demands, including the resignation of newly appointed Chairman Md Khurshid Alam, are met.
The protesters also condemned remarks made by Bangladesh Bank spokesperson and Executive Director Arif Hossain Khan, describing political comments from a senior official of the banking regulator as inappropriate.
However, sources at the bank claimed that the demonstrations in the name of depositors are being fuelled by Jamaat-e-Islami.
At a press conference held in front of the Islami Bank Tower in Dilkusha, the Forum announced a rally at 11:00am today (Wednesday) to press home its demands.
Speaking at the briefing, Forum Convener Nur-Un-Nabi said a list of demands had been submitted to Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman for immediate implementation.
Members of the Forum continued their sit-in programme in the Dilkusha-Motijheel area for the second consecutive day. They also demanded the resignation of the Bangladesh Bank governor.
The seven-point charter includes the resignation of Khurshid Alam; reinstatement of Omar Faruk Khan as managing director; removal of individuals allegedly involved in bank looting from the board; repeal of Section 18(k) of the Bank Resolution Act; recovery of allegedly looted funds through the sale of S Alam Group's domestic assets; measures to prevent S Alam from returning to the board or management of any bank; and bringing all those involved in alleged bank looting to justice.
Professor M Jobaidur Rahman resigned as chairman of Islami Bank on May 24, the last working day before Eid. On the same day, former Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor Khurshid Alam was appointed chairman of the bank.
Following the appointment, the forum launched a protest campaign demanding his removal. Police dispersed demonstrators on the first day of the protest on Monday, but they later regrouped and continued their programme.
The protesters alleged that Khurshid Alam has links to the S Alam Group and demanded that he be removed from the post. They also called for the reinstatement of those who served on the bank's board before the group's influence over Islami Bank began in 2017.
Referring to remarks made by Arif Hossain Khan on Monday, the protesters said they were disappointed by his comments. The Bangladesh Bank spokesperson had said that decisions of a bank would not be determined through street protests and that no bank should be associated with any political party, as political identity poses a risk to a bank's stability.
"We are customers. We have brought these demands forward as customers," the protesters said.
Meanwhile, a heavy presence of law enforcement personnel was observed in the Dilkusha area. Police deployed water cannons and armoured vehicles and maintained tight security around the protest venue.
The forum also expressed concern over the bank's financial condition, claiming that Islami Bank's default loan ratio had risen from 4.25 per cent in 2016 to nearly 50 per cent at present. According to the protesters, more than Tk 94,000 crore in loans are now classified as defaulted.
