Business owners and employees of the Bashundhara City Shopping Mall in Dhaka continued their protest for a second day on Wednesday demanding the resignation of the mall in charge, Mohsin Karim.
They blocked roads in Kawran Bazar, resulting in severe traffic congestion in areas including Kawran Bazar, Shahbagh, Farmgate, Science Lab, and Mirpur Road.
The protests began in the morning. Shop owners and employees had staged a road blockade and human chain at Panthapath a day prior demanding the resignation of the mall in charge and a reduction in rents.
Protesters claimed that due to the lack of official permissions for establishments in the mall’s basement, they face difficulties when dealing with government offices for licensing issues.
They also expressed frustration over being unable to voice complaints to the mall in charge, Mohsin Karim, who allegedly threatened to close their shops and mistreated them.
Businessman Fahimur Rahman said: "Nothing changes without protest. We have seen that protests have overthrown authoritarian governments. We believe that through protest, we can achieve our demands. We have faced significant injustice and exploitation, and we will not stop until our legitimate demands are met."
Snehasis Kumar Das, assistant commissioner of police (Traffic) Tejgaon Zone, said: “The protest by Bashundhara City business owners and staff is causing disruptions to nearby traffic. Both Panthapath and Sonargaon signals are completely blocked.”