Depositors held a rally and protest march in the capital on Wednesday demanding the removal of Islami Bank’s new chairman, Khurshid Alam. The Sachetan Grahak Forum (Conscious Customers Forum) organized the rally and protest march. The march began in front of the bank’s head office and ended at the Press Club.
The rally began in front of Islami Bank’s head office at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
Nurun Nabi Manik, president of the customers’ forum, said Khurshid Alam had been appointed to the bank’s chairmanship even though Bangladesh Bank staff had driven him out after the July uprising. He said this was because Alam had been involved in financial scandals under the previous government. Making such a person the chairman of Islami Bank would pose a threat to the bank, he said.
He said Islami Bank was the largest bank in Southeast Asia. If the bank were destroyed, the country’s economy would also be destroyed, he said. He said the forum wanted to advise the government to ensure the bank was run properly, and that the movement was being conducted in a lawful manner. Those through whom the bank had prospered should be given responsibility in its management, he said.
He also said the person previously given responsibility as chairman of the bank had likewise failed to protect depositors’ interests.
Earlier, on Monday and on Tuesday, protests and human-chain programs were held in front of Islami Bank’s head office over the same demand.
On Monday, Islami Bank’s scheduled board meeting could not be held in person during the day in the face of the protests. The board meeting was later held virtually that night. Five board members took part in the meeting, which was chaired by the new chairman, Khurshid Alam. The resignation of Managing Director Omar Faruk Khan was accepted at the meeting.
After Professor M Zubaidur Rahman resigned as chairman of Islami Bank on May 24, Khurshid Alam, a former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank, was appointed the bank’s new chairman that night.
Since then, a group of depositors and shareholders has been holding programs under various banners opposing his appointment. Continuing that, they were holding a program in front of Islami Bank Tower for a third straight day on Wednesday.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report