Nurul Amin Khan, Sylhet Correspondent :In protest against the suspension of the Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry elections, the Combined Business Council organized a rally and submitted a memorandum.
On Monday (October 27) at noon, leaders of the Combined Business Council marched to the Sylhet Deputy Commissioner’s office and handed over a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Md. Sarwar Alam, demanding the withdrawal of the election suspension order.
The leaders stated that the Deputy Commissioner told them that if the complaint filed with the Ministry of Commerce is withdrawn, there is a possibility that the suspension order will also be withdrawn. “We are hopeful that we’ll receive good news soon,” they said.
They added, “The Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry has become virtually paralyzed, and trade and business activities are being disrupted. We believe the election will be held on November 1, and, God willing, we will win through the legal process.”
The leaders further said, “Although the candidacies of two candidates have been canceled, no reason was provided.” Earlier, on Sunday (October 26), the Ministry of Commerce’s Trade Organization-1 Branch, through a letter signed by Deputy Secretary Chowdhury Samia Yasmin (Memo No. 26.00.0000.000.156.32.0001.92.271), ordered the suspension of the Sylhet Chamber’s 2025–2027 term election.
The letter instructed that after verifying the membership list, a new election date should be scheduled through re-scheduling. Although the specific reason for suspension was not mentioned, the issue of voter list verification was noted.
The Chamber’s Administrator and Additional District Magistrate, Saida Parveen, said, “Some members filed complaints about issues in the list. In response, the Ministry ordered verification and a new election schedule after review.”
According to sources, the decision was made following an application from former director Amiruzzaman Dulu, who recently submitted a three-page petition on the matter. Previously, the election was scheduled to take place on November 1.
A total of 42 candidates from two panels the Sylhet Combined Business Council and the Sylhet Business Forum were contesting in the election.
