Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has strongly condemned and protested the police baton charge, tear gas, water cannon and firing on customers protesting in front of Islami Bank’s head office.
In a statement on Monday (June 1), the party’s secretary general and former MP Mia Golam Parwar said police used force on ordinary customers who were protesting to protect Islami Bank’s interests and to demand the resignation of the newly appointed chairman. He condemned the incident and expressed support for the customers’ demands.
He said that in the morning, customers were holding a peaceful programme under the banner of the “Islami Bank Customer Forum” in front of the head office in Motijheel, Dhaka, demanding protection of the interests of the bank’s depositors and customers. But police, he alleged, baton-charged the protesters without provocation and used tear gas and water cannon.
Mia Golam Parwar claimed many depositors were injured in the police action and are under treatment at various hospitals. Wishing the injured a quick recovery, he said using force on a peaceful programme is contrary to human rights.
He added that there is anxiety among customers because of various irregularities and controversies in the banking sector, including at Islami Bank, in the past, and that the customers’ objections to the new chairman’s appointment need to be considered seriously.
The Jamaat secretary general said banks are run on the public’s deposits, so depositors’ concerns and opinions must be given importance. He demanded a proper investigation of the incident and that those responsible be held accountable, and called on the relevant authorities to review the customers’ complaints over the chairman’s appointment and take necessary measures.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report