Human chain held in N’ganj protesting conspiracy

A human chain was formed in Narayanganj city protesting what organizers described as a conspiracy to destroy the Islamic banking system and attempts to reinstate “allies of fascism” in Islami Bank.

The program was organized by the Islami Bank Conscious Customers Forum on Tuesday (June 2) in front of the Islami Bank Narayanganj Branch at Railgate No. 2 in the city.

Speaking at the event, forum coordinator and Islami Bank customer Hafez Abdul Momin expressed strong dissatisfaction, saying that bringing back those allegedly linked to the previous “fascist regime” after the July uprising would be a matter of great shame. He claimed that members of the S Alam Group, who were removed from the bank after August 5, were again being reinstated in control of the institution.

“As a patriotic citizen and a customer of Islami Bank, we do not want to see this historic bank become bankrupt,” he said.

He further alleged that the S Alam Group had siphoned off Tk 9,283 crore from Islami Bank during the previous regime and later fled the country following the 2024 uprising. He questioned why control of the bank would again be handed over to those accused of corruption while the public demands the recovery of the allegedly laundered money.

He also condemned what he described as an “unacceptable attack” on bank customers by police in Motijheel on the previous day.

Speakers at the human chain criticized several recent government steps, alleging that there was a plan to forcibly take control of Islami Bank. They described the current chairman as an ally of the Awami League and the S Alam Group and demanded the immediate cancellation of Khorshed Alam’s appointment.

Customers warned that they had chosen Islami Bank for its interest-free banking system and would protect their deposits at any cost. They demanded the quick recovery of allegedly embezzled funds and announced that stricter nationwide protests would be organized if their demands were not met.

Among those who spoke in solidarity were customer Maulana Abu Bakar Siddique, businessman and shareholder Nizam Uddin, customers Abul Kalam Azad, Maulana Yunus Ali, Akhtar Hossain, Shahidul Islam, Zahidul Islam, Abdus Salam Saki, Tarikul Islam, Bashir Uddin, Anisuzzaman, Kamruzzaman, and Mojibur Rahman, along with many customers and local businesspeople.

The speakers urged the government to immediately remove what they called “allies of fascism” from Islami Bank and take effective measures to protect customers’ deposits and the country’s financial sector.