Entry restricted as protests roil Secretariat for 4th day

Government employees have continued their protests and work stoppage at the Secretariat in opposition to the recently enacted ordinance amending the Public Service Act.

In line with a directive from the home ministry, visitors will not be allowed entry into the government's administrative headquarters on Tuesday. Journalists are also barred from entering until the afternoon.

Speaking to staff inside the Secretariat, it was learnt that they had begun their protests with a procession in the morning. Later, they gathered beneath the new Secretariat building to continue their demonstration.

Around 11am, ABM Abdus Sattar, president of the BNP-aligned Anti-Discrimination Employees Unity Forum, attempted to enter the premises by car but was turned away by security personnel.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, he said: “Government employees are protesting against this black law, and we’ve expressed our support from the unity forum. It’s deeply concerning that I was personally barred from entering by orders from above. I’m not even participating in the protests. I only expressed moral support. Even during the [Sheikh] Hasina's fascist rule, we didn’t see such laws.”

“Why are Awami League-backed bureaucrats still sitting at the top of the administration? They no longer have any moral right to be there. They’re introducing this kind of law to sabotage the government. This is a black law that would allow the government to dismiss any public official without notice.”

The protests inside the Secretariat are being led by the Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees Coordinated Council. A member of the group told reporters, “We’ve been demonstrating peacefully inside the Secretariat since the morning. We’ll send photo and video documentation shortly.”

Meanwhile, outside the Secretariat, another group called "July Moncho" has been staging a sit-in on the pavement near Osmani Memorial Auditorium since midnight on Monday. They are calling for the removal of “fascist and corrupt bureaucrats” from all levels of the administration, including the Secretariat and National Board of Revenue.

The protests are taking place despite the imposition of a ban on public gatherings in and around the Secretariat area under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The July Moncho has publicly displayed a list, complete with photographs, of 44 senior bureaucrats allegedly close to the Awami League, demanding their immediate removal.

At one point, tensions flared as the group's Convenor Ariful Islam Talukdar, spokesman Sakib Hossain, and lead organiser Arnob Hossain engaged in a heated exchange with police. Two activists, Tasmia Rahman and Suraiya Anta, also joined the argument before others intervened and defused the situation.

Eventually, it was agreed that the protesters would remain at the location but not use loudspeakers.

“We’re not here just because the bureaucrats began their protest yesterday. We’ve been raising these demands since February. We’re here based on the ultimatum issued on Friday. Unless the home affairs advisor comes here and presents a concrete roadmap to remove these fascist bureaucrats, we’re not leaving. Invoking Section 144 or 288 won’t deter us,” said Ariful.