Owners threaten nationwide restaurant closure over extortion, harassment

Bangladesh Restaurant Owners' Association on Monday issued a warning to authorities, stating that they would close all restaurants across Bangladesh for a day if harassment and extortion targeting their businesses were not stopped.

“Stop the drama in the month of Ramadan. Otherwise, we will form a human chain in front of the National Press Club on Wednesday and submit a memorandum to the prime minister. If the demand is not met, we will close the restaurants across Bangladesh for one day. If necessary, all restaurants will be closed indefinitely,” said Imran Hasan, secretary general of Bangladesh Restaurant Owners’ Association.

He made the comments at a press conference at Nasrul Hamid Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Monday.

The conference was organized to protest the state in the restaurant sector, induced by raids conducted by different government agencies following the recent fire in a Bailey Road building.

Imran Hasan said that the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) was the most corrupt organization in Bangladesh and all officials of the agency must be investigated. 

He said people from different agencies have now started extortion taking advantage of the drives. “A few days ago, even a sub-inspector of a police station came to a restaurant and extorted money.”

Regarding the closed restaurants, the secretary general of the Bangladesh Restaurant Owners’ Association said: "At present, 800 restaurants are closed. Of these, 220-230 have been officially been sealed. Our restaurants were closed without giving any notices.”

He later said that restaurants are allowed to operate in commercial areas and that Rajuk’s DAB master plan promotes buildings with mixed uses. 

Following the loss of 46 lives in a fire on Dhaka’s Bailey Road last month, government entities, including the city corporation, fire service, Rajuk and police, promptly initiated campaigns across the capital to uncover irregularities, corruption and criminal activities.

Twelve days after the fire, the city corporation is carrying out a couple of operations, but other agencies appear to be done with their raids.

Similar to past incidents at Churihatta, Nimtoli, Siddik Bazar, Bangabazar and Science Lab, government agencies washed their hands of the Bailey Road tragedy and tried to blame each other.