The pen-down and sit-in protest by officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) demanding, among other things, the removal of it’s chairman continued today (Thursday) under the banner of the NBR Reform Unity Council.
In an effort to maintain control over the situation, a large number of personnel from the army, police, RAB, Coast Guard, and Ansar were deployed from early morning at the headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, and surrounding areas.
The protesting officials were scheduled to observe their pre-announced pen-down and sit-in program from 12 PM to 5 PM. However, due to the heavy presence of law enforcement, they were barred from entering the Revenue Building.
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Hasan Muhammad Tarek Rikabdar, President of the Unity Council and Additional Commissioner at the NBR, told reporters, “We are not being allowed to enter our own building. So, we are holding our protest outside.”
In response to the protests, the Finance Ministry on Wednesday (June 25) issued a statement urging the officials to return to work. However, the protesters have rejected the appeal and vowed to continue their movement.
The NBR Reform Unity Council has also announced a ‘March to NBR’ program for June 28, and warned that they would enforce a full-day shutdown starting from that date if their demands remain unmet.
