Police help Finance Adviser exit after 6-hrs at Secretariat

Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed

Dhaka, Dec 10 – Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed left the Secretariat around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday after being held for nearly six hours by non-cadre service staff. He was escorted out with police assistance.

The mostly non-cadre service employees had confined Dr. Ahmed in his office on the fourth floor of Building 11 from 2:30 p.m., insisting on a 20 percent “Secretariat Allowance” for all staff employed there.

Before releasing him, a specialized police unit entered the office and attempted to disperse the staff using bamboo sticks, leading to scuffles between the protesters and police. Staff members raised slogans against the authorities during the confrontation.

Ministry of Finance sources said a government notification regarding the Secretariat allowance for employees will be issued on Thursday. One of the protesters confirmed that they left the office after receiving assurance that the notification would be issued by 3pm on Thursday.

The protest began around 2:30 pm, led by Badiul Kabir, president of a section of the Secretariat Employees’ Association. Protesters remained outside the adviser’s office, chanting slogans and demanding the allowance, insisting they would not leave until the Gazette notification was issued.

Additional law enforcement personnel were deployed around the adviser’s office and on the lower floors of Building 11 during the standoff, with some officers moving to the fourth floor after evening. - UNB