A section of officers and employees of the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution PLC attacked the Petro Centre, headquarters of the state-owned oil, gas and mineral corporation Petrobangla, on Tuesday morning, protesting the appointment of its new managing director. 

They ransacked the reception counter of Petrobangla on the ground floor with sticks. The glass partition of the reception counter was broken by the attackers.

They also demanded appointment of Titas MD from within their officers. 

There was a scuffle between the security guards and the attackers, but no one was seriously injured.

Shahnewaz Parvez, a former general manager of Petrobangla, has been made the managing director of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd with current charge.

He replaced Engineer Harunur Rashid Mollah, whose contractual employment was cancelled by the government.

According to an office order of Petrobangla, the state's hydrocarbons agency, issued Monday, Shahnewaz Parvez has been transferred to Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd with the new charge.

Till Monday, Parvez was serving as managing director of the Gas Transmission Company Limited (GTCL)

It also mentioned that if anybody is appointed as new managing director, Shahnewaz will return to the MD post of the GTCL.

About the incident of attack by Titas employees, Petrobangla Chairman Zanedra Nath Sarker told reporters that the demand of the protesters is not justified as Petrobangla always appoints Titas MD from its senior general managers.

“But now, no eligible senior GM was found in Titas for the post of the MD. As a result, after consultation with the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, we appointed the new MD from the senior GM list of Petrobangla”, he told reporters.

“If the Titas employees or officers have any demand, they can come to my office and inform me about the demand in a decent way. But attacking the office, they violated the rules. We will identify them from CCTV footage and take departmental action first and then if necessary, criminal charges will be filed against them,” he said.

It is apprehended that some of the supporters of former MD Harunur Rashid, who received benefits from him, might have been involved in the incident.

Secondly, the new MD took action against illegal consumers in the Keraniganj area of the former state minister which might be a reason behind the attack, he added.