Six people were injured during a shooting outside Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC’s head office in Motijheel on Sunday, by two groups vying for control of the bank.
The injured were later taken for treatment at Islami Bank Central Hospital.
Four of the injured have been identified as Shafiullah, Abdullah Al Mamun, Abdur Rahman, and Baki Billah, while the identities of two others remain unknown.
The Bangladesh Bank later issued a press release, instructing bankers not to publicly display their internal conflict and to address their grievances through proper channels.
Finance and Planning Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed addressed recent agitations and attacks inside several banks, including Islami Bank, and assured that actions will be taken against those responsible.
"I know that some people are attacking banks, including Islami Bank. We will take action," he said after an introductory meeting with Finance Division officials at the Finance Ministry on Sunday.
"We would be discussing the situation with law enforcement agencies to ensure necessary actions," he added.
Meanwhile, managing director of Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC Mohammed Monirul Moula did not go to the bank on the day.
It was announced by senior officers and employees that if Moula wanted to enter the bank, he would not be granted access.
According to witnesses and bank sources, some officials under the banner of “Anti-Discrimination Banker Society” were trying to hold a rally in front of the head office in the morning.
The senior officers urged barring access to colleagues who were recruited after 2017 from entering the bank.
The new officers are mostly from Patiya upazila in Chittagong.
Pandemonium
Around 10:30 am, the officers who joined the bank after 2017 gathered in front of the head office and attempted to enter it.
Some bank officials, who work for S Alam Group, barred them from holding a rally, resulting in a scuffle between the two groups, they said.
When the senior employees prevented the post-2017 bankers from entering, it turned into a turf war between two sides, with guns being drawn and shots fired.
Sources said that the old officers claimed that Patiya-based officers opened fire during the clashes.
A tense situation has been prevailing in and around the bank following the incident.
Motijheel Police Station’s officer-in-charge Abul Kalam Azad could not be reached over mobile phone despite repeated attempts.
Regarding the clash and situation, Dr Shaukat Ali, SVP of Islamic Bank said: “Yesterday (Saturday) we learned that S Alam's associates, who have infiltrated various companies and banks, were trying to place their own people in the bank which had been looted. To prevent this, we stationed ourselves in front of the bank.”
“At one point, S Alam's people gathered at City Center and attempted to enter the head office. When the bank officials tried to resist, S Alam's group fired at them, injuring six. They are in critical condition. The protesting bankers managed to repel the attackers, who then fled,” he added.
However, the confrontation follows a recent upheaval triggered by the uprising on 5 August, which led to the government's downfall.
Bankers are demanding the restructuring of the Islami Bank's board to remove the looters from the bank.
They also call for the expulsion of officials appointed by S Alam, including managing director Monirul Moula, Deputy Managing Directors Akij Uddin, Miftah Uddin, and others.
On August 6, aggrieved bankers did not let the officials appointed by S Alam group enter the bank premises.
Subsequent protests by bankers were reported on August 7-8, during which the officials appointed by S Alam group were again removed from the bank.
Anisur Rahman, a CBA leader of the bank, announced that all the recruitments that have taken place without any examinations since 2017 will be canceled and the recruits will be prevented from entering the bank.
At the same time, those who have been dismissed or deprived during the period will get their jobs back or be compensated.
Chittagong-based business conglomerate S Alam took over the bank in 2017.
Since then, nearly 14,000 officers have been recruited in the bank, and they are mostly from Patiya where the conglomerate is rooted.
