The government on Wednesday appointed Mostaqur Rahman as the new governor of Bangladesh Bank, replacing Ahsan H Mansur, amid protests against Mansur by officials and employees of the central bank.

The finance ministry issued a gazette notification confirming the appointment on the same day.

Earlier in the day, officials and employees staged a demonstration in front of Bangladesh Bank’s 30-storey headquarters in Dhaka under the banner of the Bangladesh Bank Officers’ Welfare Council.

The protest began at 11:00am in response to show-cause notices and the transfer of three senior officials outside Dhaka on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the central bank transferred Nawshad Mustafa, director of the SME and Special Programmes Department, to its Barishal office; AKM Masum Billah, additional director and president of the Bangladesh Bank Officers’ Welfare Council, to Rangpur; and Golam Mostafa Shraban, additional director and general secretary of the council, to Bogura.

The protesters demanded the withdrawal of the show-cause notices issued to the three officials and the cancellation of their transfer orders. They alleged that the transfers were carried out before the officials were given an opportunity to respond.

Addressing the rally, Billah announced that officials and employees would begin a symbolic pen-down programme from Thursday if their demands were not met.

Billah said the council had sought a meeting with the governor to resolve the issue but did not receive an appointment. He added that further programmes would be announced after consultations with officials at all levels.

Director and assistant spokesperson Shahriar Siddiqui said employees had been seeking greater institutional autonomy but were facing what he described as restrictive administrative measures.

Amid the developments, Mansur left the Bangladesh Bank premises.

Before departing, he told reporters that he had learned of his removal through media reports and had not received any official communication.