Dhaka/New Delhi: Hundreds of government employees on Monday briefly locked the main gate of Bangladesh Secretariat, the heart of the administration, in the capital Dhaka, intensifying their protests against a new service law which allows easier dismissal of officials for misconduct.
According to eyewitnesses and media reports, officials and employees of the Secretariat, which houses ministries and important government offices, locked the main gate on the third day of their protest against the Public Service Act amendment.
The agitating employees gathered near the main entrance around 12:30 pm. During that time, the gate was closed. It was reopened about half an hour later, around 1:00 pm. The protesting employees moved from the gate and gathered in a scattered way across the secretariat premises.
“The gate was reopened after half an hour,” a private TV channel reported.
As per reports, official activities inside complex were largely stalled as employees continued the work stoppage. The protests started after Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus-led interim government published the revised version of the law, allowing easier dismissal of officials for misconduct.
The govt employees threatened to continue the protests until the ordinance was scrapped. The authorities deployed extra police to enforce a vigil against any possible violence at the complex.
Meanwhile, the protest by employees of the Dhaka South City Corporation, demanding the installation of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain as its mayor in line with a court order, has brought administrative services to a halt, bdnews24.com reported.