BB governor faces employee protest, resignation call

A section of officials and employees of Bangladesh Bank (BB) today staged a protest demanding the resignation of Governor Ahsan H Mansur, alleging his “autocratic behaviour.”

The protesting officials held the rally under the banner of the Bangladesh Bank Officers’ Welfare Council at 11:00am in front of the central bank headquarters in Dhaka, and threatened a pen-down programme from tomorrow if their demands are not met.

AKM Masum Billah, president of the council, said they would observe a symbolic pen-down programme unless the show-cause notices and transfer orders issued against three officials are withdrawn today.

He alleged that the governor transferred three officials before they could respond to the show-cause notices issued against them early this week for holding a press conference without approval from high-ups on the BB premises.

Billah was one of the officials who faced a show-cause notice and transfer.

“We sought a meeting with the governor, but he did not grant us the opportunity,” he said.

Shahriar Siddiqui, a director and assistant spokesperson of the BB, said they had sought autonomy for the central bank but were facing what he termed ‘authoritarian practices’ instead.

He alleged that the BB has been “filled with contractual appointments” of a number of advisers and consultants, but ‘no effective economic policy initiatives are visible.’

Mofizur Rahman Khan Chowdhury, executive director and deputy head of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, said officials had raised their demands over the past seven to eight months, but these were not accepted, prompting the protest.