Protesters force four Bangladesh cenbank deputies to resign, bank sources say

By Ruma Paul

DHAKA (Reuters) - Four deputy governors of Bangladesh's central bank were forced to resign on Wednesday after about 300-400 officials protested against what they said was corruption by top officials, two sources at the bank told Reuters.

Protesters also demanded the resignation of Bangladesh Bank governor Abdur Rouf Talukder, who was not present during the demonstrations at the bank's headquarters in capital Dhaka, said the sources, who did not want to be named.

Talukder and the bank's spokesperson did not answer calls made to seek comment.

The protests at the central bank came two days after Sheikh Hasina resigned as Bangladesh's prime minister and fled the country following weeks of deadly protests that began as demonstrations by students against government job quotas but escalated into a movement demanding her resignation.

Deputy Governor Nurun Nahar will continue handling operational work at the bank for now but will have to leave when new deputy governors are appointed, said one of the sources.

"Although many officials, including myself, continue to work, we support the protests," said another central bank official who did not join the protests and did not want to be named.

Two of Talukder's deputies were also not in office on Wednesday but agreed to resign after protesters spoke to them by phone, the sources said.

The chief of the financial intelligence department and the policy adviser to the central bank also resigned, the sources said, adding that Bangladesh army personnel ensured the safety of the officials and helped them leave the bank.

Bangladesh Bank announced its monetary policy for the first half of fiscal year 2024-25 last month and the next policy for the second half is due in January.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; writing by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by YP Rajesh)