Vehicular movement on the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar highway came to a standstill for four hours on Sunday after bank officials staged a blockade in Patiya upazila, protesting the termination of 7,000 employees from banks controlled by the S Alam Group.
Several hundred officials took to the streets around 8am, demanding that their jobs be reinstated.
As part of the protest, they locked the main entrances of 20 banks in Patiya upazila until noon, halting operations at 45 banks, including First Security Bank, Islami Bank, Janata Bank, Sonali Bank and Pubali Bank.
Before marching onto the highway, the protesters held a meeting at Patiya Ideal High School. They left the scene after 12 noon.
Tensions rose when they attempted to stop the reopening of the National Bank branch at Patiya Police Station intersection.
The local administration and law enforcement, including Patiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer Farhanur Rahman, Additional Superintendent of Chattogram Police Asaduzzaman, Patiya Circle ASP Ariful Islam, and Patiya Police OC Md Nuruzzaman, arrived at the scene to defuse the situation.
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“We only have one demand -- give us back our jobs,” chanted the demonstrators, who claimed that the layoffs took place after the change in government in August 2024.
They alleged that employees from several private banks, including Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd, Social Islami Bank Ltd, Al-Arafah Islami Bank, Global Islami Bank, Union Bank, and First Security Islami Bank, were unfairly dismissed without prior notice.
Most of the terminated employees are residents of Patiya upazila, they added, warning of tougher movements if their demands for reinstatement and compensation are not met soon.
Sources said multiple S Alam Group-owned banks were involved in the mass terminations, which took place after August 5, 2024.
Patiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer Farhanur Rahman told UNB, “We have no direct role in their demands, but we’ve informed higher government authorities. Our main focus was to ensure the protest did not lead to any untoward incident.”