Banking Breakdown: Padma Bank Clients Protest for Deposit Recovery

Aggrieved customers of Padma Bank staged a human chain demanding the return of their money. The demonstration was held in front of Bangladesh Bank in Motijheel. The affected clients participated in the protest from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on Tuesday, 7 April.

On Tuesday morning, more than fifty customers of Padma Bank gathered from different locations in front of Bangladesh Bank, carrying banners with various slogans. They chanted, “Who are you, who are we—depositors, depositors,” “Our dues must be paid,” and “Our money is in the bank—why are we on the streets?” During the protest, several affected customers shared their hardships.

One distressed customer, with tears in his eyes, said he could not buy new clothes for his children during the last Eid-ul-Fitr despite having money in the bank. “My money is in the bank, but I cannot withdraw it. I visit the bank, and the officials only give new dates. Months are passing like this. Eid-ul-Adha is approaching, and I cannot sleep worrying about how to meet my children’s needs. We demand that the government ensure the prompt return of our rightful money,” he said.

Another customer broke down while describing the significant expenses of his two children’s education. He said, “We should not have to stand here like this, but we are helpless. We deposited our money in the bank following government regulations, yet we cannot access it when needed. We are being humiliated when we go to the bank for our money. We are also being embarrassed socially for failing to fulfill our commitments to others. Many are facing similar humiliation. We seek the government’s intervention to overcome this situation.”

DBTech/SH/EK/OR