B.Mirror Desk: have been taken to freeze the bank accounts of at least 20 individuals and entities—including former ministers, Members of Parliament (MPs), industrial entrepreneurs, and political activists—on allegations of providing financial and logistical support to the ongoing protests by garment workers demanding wage increases. Acting on intelligence, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has issued directives to all banks in the country to freeze these accounts.

The list includes owners of several major industrial conglomerates, former ministers and MPs from the Awami League government, and political activists associated with the party. Most of them were either involved in the politics of the now-banned Awami League or were beneficiaries of the party’s administration in various ways.
According to NBR sources, these individuals and entities are accused of financing the ongoing garment workers’ protests and facilitating acts of sabotage surrounding these demonstrations. However, it has not been possible to obtain immediate comments from those accused; some are currently in prison, while others are abroad. Furthermore, the bank accounts of several of these individuals have already been frozen following cases filed by various agencies, including the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), in the aftermath of August 5.
Earlier, during an event held by the NBR last Tuesday, the organization’s chairman, Ahsan Habib, hinted at the freezing of bank accounts belonging to certain individuals and entities. He stated that the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) and the Income Tax Intelligence Department are freezing the bank accounts of 34 individuals and 34 families for specific reasons.
Sources within the revenue board claim that the owners of 12 industrial conglomerates have been financing acts of sabotage linked to the garment workers’ protests. The list includes Tipu Munshi, the founder and Managing Director of the Sipal Group, who served as the Minister of Commerce under the Awami League government.
It is also reported that the bank accounts of Salman F. Rahman, owner of the Beximco Group, are being frozen on similar grounds. He served as the Advisor on Industry and Private Investment to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Others named in the list of allegations include Salam Murshedy, Managing Director of Envoy Group and a former Member of Parliament; Shahriar Alam, owner of Renaissance Group and former State Minister for Foreign Affairs; Nasrul Hamid Bipu, owner of Hamid Group and former State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources; and Tajul Islam, founder of Fabian Group and former Minister of Local Government.
Also included are Fayzur Rahman Badal, Managing Director of Tusuka Group; Abdus Salam, founder of Well Group; Khosru Chowdhury, Managing Director of Nipa Group; Zahid Ahmed Tulu, Director of Axis Knitwears Limited; AKM Mosharraf Hossain, Managing Director of Standard Group; and Masuma Khatun Lipa, Chairperson of Givensee Group.
Furthermore, the bank accounts of former Member of Parliament Elias Uddin Mollah; SM Mannan Kochi, former president of the BGMEA and General Secretary of the Dhaka Metropolitan North Awami League; and Jahangir Alam, a personal assistant to Sheikh Hasina, are being frozen over allegations of financing worker protests in the Mirpur area.
According to sources, AFM Bahauddin Nasim—a Joint General Secretary of the Awami League and a former Member of Parliament—is coordinating the movement online. Intelligence reports suggest that, under his leadership, approximately 150 individuals are working to disseminate videos and images from various locations related to the movement across social media platforms, utilizing 20 to 25 WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook channels. It is understood that, based on these allegations, Bahauddin Nasim’s bank accounts are being frozen.
Earlier, at the Secretariat, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed stated that the ongoing unrest in the garment sector is being fueled by former ministers, state ministers, and Members of Parliament who have ties to banned political organizations. He further claimed that the government possesses evidence indicating the involvement of certain industrial owners in these activities.
Regarding the freezing of bank accounts, a senior official from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) informed Samakal that, based on intelligence, instructions have already been issued to banks via email to freeze the accounts of the individuals and entities in question.