In an unprecedented incident in the Bangladesh Bank鈥檚 history, many of its officials on Wednesday demanded resignation of their top bosses amid a massive political shift in the country.
At the National Board of Revenue also, protesting officials demanded removal of their top brass on the day.
At Bangladesh Bank, a group of aggrieved officials staged a demonstration in front of the office premises on Wednesday, demanding the resignation of six high-ranking officials, the governor and deputy governors among them, saying that they had connection with corrupt individuals of the now deposed Awami League-led government.
Deputy governors Sayedur Rahman and Habibur Rahman along with head of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, Masud Biswas, left the office early facing the protest.
They pledged before the protesters to tender their resignation to the very soon to be formed interim government.
Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder and another deputy governor Khurshid Alam were not present at the office.
Protesting officials also demanded cancellation of the contractual appointments of officials at various institutions under the central bank, given as rewards for aiding corruption.
At a press conference on Wednesday, spokesperson and executive director Mezbaul Haque addressed the issue, stating that the protesting officials demanded the resignation of the senior executives.
Regarding the functioning of the central bank in their absence, Mezbaul Haque said that the department heads could manage day-to-day functions, but major policy decisions could not be made without a government, and so for now, only daily operations would continue.
When asked about the seven banks owned by the S Alam Group, he said, 鈥楨verything now depends on the interim government and the directives it provides. We have discussed the need for legal reforms.鈥�
According to a press statement shared by the protesting officials, they claimed that these senior executives had destroyed the banking sector and economy for their personal gains.
鈥楾hey were involved in corruption which will be disclosed soon,鈥� the press release stated.
The protesters also claimed that they had been harassed for years for refusing to follow directives that would break rules.
Hundreds of National Board of Revenue officials, meanwhile, demonstrated at the office of the tax administrator on Wednesday, seeking the resignation of its chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem.
They demanded the authorities concerned to hire people from customs or income tax cadres instead of the ones from the administration cadre as the chief of revenue board.
On Tuesday, president Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved the parliament after a meeting with key stakeholders, including the chiefs of the three armed forces, leaders of various political parties, civil society representatives, and leaders of the Student Movements Against Discrimination.
