Clash erupts outside Islami Bank HQ in Motijheel, 30 injured

A clash broke out between two rival groups outside the Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC head office in Motijheel on Monday (September 14) morning, leaving at least 30 people injured.

Members of the Islami Bank Conscious Customers’ Forum and a group of terminated employees from various Islamic banks gathered in front of Islami Bank Tower around 8:30 AM. Tensions mounted around 10:00 AM over their counter programmes, leading to an attack on the customer forum members.

Police responded promptly to restore order and dispersed both groups to prevent further violence. Customer forum members later took position under the bank building, while the fired staff moved their demonstration to the Bangladesh Bank area.

Prof Nurunnabi Manik, president of the customer forum, claimed that 30 of their activists were injured in the assault, with five sustaining severe injuries. Both groups had announced their respective programmes on Sunday (September 14).

The customer forum staged demonstrations demanding the removal of S Alam Group’s influence from Islami Bank, restoration of good governance, and protection of depositors' interests. Meanwhile, the terminated employees demanded reinstatement, alleging that they were wrongfully dismissed during post-acquisition evaluations of certificates and records.

-SA