BARISAL, FEB 13: Investors of Barisal stock market on Sunday protested the continuous downwards trend and crush in the stock market. They disrupted the trading, blocked roads, damaged vehicles and counters of brokerage houses at around noon. The agitated investors demonstrated in and outside the brokerage houses and held rally demanding immediate interference of the government to save the stock market from illegal gambling cartels active in collaboration with the officials of SEC, DSE and CSE.
While boycotting the trading, the Investors Forum Share Bazaar Barisal and Barisal Small Investors Forum held the programme.
The protestors said more than 20, 000 investors of Barisal stock market sustained losses of crores of taka in the recent days and some of them have become bankrupt after the crush in the stock market. They warned to intensify the protest if the conspiracies continued.
Later on, the police controlled the situation and arranged special securities at the brokerage houses.
ANM Mahbub-Ul-Alam, second officer of Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) Barisal branch, acknowledged the facts and said that ICB and its subsidiaries like ICB Securities Trading Company Limited (ISTCL) and ICML were playing role like other brokerage houses and have nothing to do with SEC decision or actions and the market situation.
HM Giasuddin Ahmed, Barisal branch manager of ISTCL, said stock trading was disrupted for half an hour when counter of the trading house was damaged by agitated mob.
The officials said they had informed the higher authority about the episode and had also advised the investors to invest cautiously after judging the real position of the company, not on the basis of rumors. They also asked the investors to maintain peace.