Protest By CAAB Employees Erupts Over Proposal to Form Bangladesh Airport Security Force
Officials and employees of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) staged a protest on Monday (March 17) demanding the cancellation of the proposal to establish the Bangladesh Airport Security Force and the preservation of the interests of CAAB’s Aviation Security (AvSec) division.
The demonstration began at 10:30 AM in front of the CAAB headquarters, where protesters later blocked the Uttara Road for about half an hour. The demonstrators, marching from the headquarters to the main road, were eventually pacified by CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Manjur Kabir Bhuiyan, who arrived at the scene and urged them to return.
Speaking at the protest, demonstrators Humayun Kabir, Abdul Latif, and Masud Rana stated, "Our demands are legitimate. If the Air Force personnel are not withdrawn and our concerns are not addressed, we will escalate our movement with larger demonstrations." Around 500 officers and employees participated in the protest.
During the demonstration, the protesters raised six key demands: preventing any attempts to render the AvSec division ineffective, fully implementing CAAB’s organizational structure, strengthening the authority’s institutional framework, immediately halting the decision to form the Bangladesh Airport Security Force under CAAB, withdrawing all personnel deployed under the "In Aid to Civil Power Act," and addressing the existing disparities within the 10-member Board of Directors. They also called for measures to ensure CAAB’s self-reliance and sustainable development.
