The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has suspended 21 of its officials, following an incident of March in which top members of the commission were confined during a protest.
BSEC Chairman Khondoker Rashid Maksud has since urged all employees to remain united.
According to commission sources, a special meeting of senior BSEC officials was held on Tuesday.
During the meeting, a decision was made to suspend those who were allegedly involved in the March 5 incident that saw the chairman, commissioners, and senior officials confined and the office thrown into disorder.
The BSEC officially announced the suspensions on Wednesday through an administrative order.
The suspended officials stated they had not been informed beforehand and only learned of the decision upon arriving at the office.
Among those suspended are Executive Director Rezaul Karim; Directors Abu Raihan and Md. Mohtashin Billah; Additional Director Nazrul Islam; Joint Director Rashedul Islam; Deputy Directors Bani Yamin, Al Islam, Shahidul Islam, and Touhidul Islam; Assistant Directors Jony Hossain, Raihan Kabir, Sajjad Hossain, and Abdul Baten; Librarian Md. Selim Reza Bappi; and Personal Officer Abu Yusuf.
Others suspended include Directors Abul Hasan and Fakhrul Islam Majumder; Additional Director Miraz Us Sunnah; Deputy Director Nannu Bhuiyan; Government Directors Aminur Rahman Khan, Tarikul Islam and Samir Ghosh.
The suspensions follow the incident of March 5, when BSEC staff confined the chairman and three commissioners for nearly four hours.
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The protest was in response to the forced retirement of Executive Director Saifur Rahman and included four major demands.
The day after the protest, a case was filed with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station by the chairman’s security personnel, Ashiqur Rahman.
The case named 16 officials, 14 of whom are among those suspended.
Following the announcement, Chairman Rashid Maksud convened an urgent meeting involving staff from all levels of the commission on Wednesday evening.
In the meeting, he called for unity and assured that the ongoing disputes would be resolved soon.
He also instructed officials to work with renewed dedication to stabilise the country’s capital market.