A historic event is shaking Bangladesh Bank (BB). On Wednesday morning, hundreds of bank officials stormed the Bangladesh Bank's Motijheel office, demanding the resignation of top figures, including four deputy governors, policy advisor, the head of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), and the governor himself.
Deputy Governor Kazi Sayedur Rahman resigned in response to the protests, submitting a handwritten resignation letter to the central bank's executive director. Demonstrators gathered outside the Bangladesh Bank head office in Motijheel, accusing the deputy governors of aiding bank looters.
Adding to the chaos, contractual officers are demanding permanent positions. Despite the turmoil, all four deputy governors showed up to office on Wednesday. However, two were forced to leave early after assuring the staff they would resign soon. Sayedur Rahman left the premises under army protection after signing his resignation letter.
On Wednesday, central bank officials demanded the resignation of those who worked as "friends of dictator Hasina." Subsequently, Deputy Governor Rahman left the office, followed by Deputy Governors Nahar, Alam, and Rahman. BFIU head Biswas also left the office. Aggrieved officials demanded the resignation of the four deputy governors, the BFIU head, and the policy advisor.
Bank operations continue with heavy security
Deputy Governor Nurun Nahar remains in the office to handle administrative approvals for regular activities. She will continue to approve salaries and allowances until new deputy governors are appointed. She, too, will have to resign eventually and is currently under army security.
Former deputy governor and current Bangladesh Bank advisor Abu Farah Nasser told the media: "I have not made any decision to resign or not to go to the bank. I will decide after assessing the situation." He also noted that the deputy governors must submit their resignation to the secretary of the Financial Institutions Division.
On the other hand, Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder did not come to the office on Wednesday, a continued absence since Tuesday. On Tuesday, all four governors defended their positions in a press conference, addressing central bank irregularities. Kazi Sayedur Rahman stated: "Due to certain restrictions, we are unable to disclose information on various irregularities. But now we will highlight everything."
Resignations
Amid the unrest, Among the deputy commissioners only Kazi Sayedur Rahman submitted his resignation but the others could not submit any written document rather verbally assured the officials they would resign.
Witnesses reported that protesters first entered Deputy Governor Rahman's room, pressuring him to resign. He wrote his resignation on a blank paper and signed it before leaving the bank. The angry officers then forced Deputy Governors Nurun Nahar, Md Khurshid Alam, and Md Habibur Rahman to sign blank papers.
Later, bank advisor Abu Farah Nasser and BFIU head Masud Biswas were also asked to resign. All these top officials were appointed on a contractual basis. The agitating officers declared them undesirable in the central bank and named Executive Director Zakir Hossain Chowdhury as the responsible officer of the bank.
Deputy Governor Rahman commented: "The angry officials forced me to sign my resignation on a blank paper before throwing me out. There is no rule anywhere to resign like this. The government appointed me, so I can resign to the government if I wish, or the government can remove me. Officials cannot force someone to resign by signing a blank paper; it is not a provision."
Resignations will be handled by interim govt
During a press briefing held at 1:45pm today at Jahangir Alam conference room of Bangladesh Bank, the head of Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), central spokesperson Mezbaul Haque said: As Bangladesh Bank officials are appointed by the government, their resignations will also be processed by the interim government after it is formed.
The resignations will be presented to the government on an urgent basis, he added.
