Employees at the BASIS office on the fifth floor of the BDBL Building in Kawran Bazar are enduring a state of insecurity. Despite a meeting between military personnel and students on Saturday night that helped to stabilize the situation, no female employees returned to the office on Sunday, amounting to 11 individuals.
Reports indicate that a local youth gang demonstrated outside the BASIS office for about half an hour around 2 PM. During this time, 30 to 40 boys gathered in front of the office, reportedly waiting for instructions from an older associate over the phone. This led to renewed panic among the employees present, prompting nearly all of them to leave the office for safety and lock the doors. It was only after local army members arrived that the demonstrators dispersed.
According to sources, members of the intelligence agency held discussions on the matter under the leadership of Major Nesar. Meanwhile, BASIS is preparing to file a General Diary (GD) with the Tejgaon Police Station for security reasons. By around 3:30 PM, BASIS employees returned to the office.
Earlier on Saturday, a group of five students visited the BASIS office around 3 PM to meet with BASIS President Russell T. Ahmed. However, they claimed they were kept waiting for over an hour without being allowed to meet him. Following this, an additional 50 to 60 students joined them in protest. The police from Tejgaon Station intervened in an attempt to normalize the situation. In a bid to mediate, military personnel organized a trilateral meeting involving the students and BASIS representatives. At one point, the students held a press conference in the BASIS conference room, calling for the resignation of the executive council members.
North South University student Mashrafee Sarker stated, “Given the multiple allegations against Russell T. Ahmed, an investigation must be conducted regarding these claims. A committee for this investigation should be formed. If he is proven guilty, he must resign; if nothing is found, he can remain in his position.”
He further added, “BASIS has a Student Forum, and it should include students from various universities. Until now, the organization has included only specific groups of people and representatives from certain institutions. From now on, students must be included in this team.”
Shahriyar Hasnat Tapu remarked, “We urged BASIS to form an investigative committee. They expressed their inability to do so, claiming that BASIS is not an organization that engages in such activities. They suggested we handle it ourselves. We call on relevant government agencies and the media to address this matter, and we will monitor the situation closely.”
