BASIS Office Blockade: Troops Brought the Situation under Control

Students from various private universities blockaded the BASIS (Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services) office in the capital’s Kawran Bazar, demanding reforms. On Saturday afternoon, around 30 to 40 students entered the BASIS office, requesting a meeting with the BASIS President and causing a commotion.

This led to a tense situation inside the office, with female staff members becoming fearful. Sources said that around 3:30 p.m., when the agitated students entered the BASIS office, several BASIS members, including three EC members, were in a regular meeting of the Access to Finance Committee with two JICA representatives. The secretariat staff was busy with their daily tasks.

The sudden incident left the entire BASIS secretariat in shock. Senior Vice President M. Rashidul Hasan and Vice President (Administration) Syed Mohammad Kamal spoke to the students and facilitated the exit of the JICA representatives and female staff from the office. The protestors insisted on meeting with the BASIS President.

Expressing his frustration over the incident, BASIS Vice President (Finance) Iqbal Ahmed Fakhrul Hasan stated, "BASIS is an organization that elects EC representatives through transparent elections. In May, BASIS received a new EC following this process. The EC is accountable to its member companies. It is unlawful for outsiders to demand the resignation of BASIS EC members. We condemn such actions, where members, staff, EC, and JICA representatives were held inside the BASIS office."

As of the latest update, the students were still occupying the BASIS office, though their exact identities remain unclear. They were reportedly being called by names like Apu and Dipu and raised questions such as, "How can someone with a murder case against them hold a leadership position in BASIS?" When the situation worsened, the army personnel reached there and brought the situation under control.