Dhaka, December 11 (HS): Bangladesh’s Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, who was held hostage in his secretariat office by government employees on Wednesday afternoon, was freed around 8 pm with police intervention. Employees from various ministries and departments confined him inside his office, alleging that the government was ignoring their demands.

According to the Dhaka Tribune, chaos erupted in the administrative corridors around 2 pm when protesting employees blocked access to Dr Ahmed’s office on the fourth floor of the secretariat. The employees have been demanding a 20% special allowance for all government staff.

As per the sequence of events, the protesters had called Dr Ahmed to his office for talks, asking him to convey their demands by Thursday. Once he arrived, they insisted on immediate acceptance of their demands and refused to allow him to leave until the government issued a formal gazette notification. They then locked down the office area, preventing his exit.

Police later reached the spot and managed to safely escort the adviser out around 8 pm.

The protest comes at a time when dissatisfaction among government employees has grown significantly following the formation of the interim government.

Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, a noted Bangladeshi economist, has been serving as Finance Adviser in the interim administration since August 2024. He is also a former Governor of Bangladesh Bank.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar