Sixteen officials of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) were sued for confining the BSEC chairman and three commissioners at the commission's office for nearly four hours on Wednesday.

Ashiqur Rahman, the police official assigned to BSEC Chairman Khandkar Rashed Maqsood, filed the case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station on Thursday evening.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the incident occurred during a commission meeting when a group of BSEC officials forcibly entered the meeting room and confined Chairman Maqsood and Commissioners Md Mohsin Chowdhury, Md Ali Akbar, and Farzana Lalarukh inside for around four hours.

The complainant stated that the BSEC officials locked the main gate and shut down CCTV cameras, Wi-Fi, elevators, and electrical connections, creating a state of chaos and fear within the BSEC premises in a pre-planned manner.

The situation was brought under control after army personnel intervened and rescued the officials from confinement, considering it a Critical Information Infrastructure.

All this happened as the BSEC officials staged a protest against the commission's action on Tuesday, which led to the forced retirement of Executive Director Saifur Rahman following several "complaints against him."

The protesters demanded the reinstatement of Saifur Rahman, the cancellation of all show-cause notices issued to several officials regarding divisional punishment, and that no steps be taken based on the findings of the investigation committee formed by the BSEC.

To press their demands, the protesters vandalized government offices, the case document said.

Following these developments, the BSEC chairman's security personnel filed the case against 16 individuals.

They are former Executive Director Saifur Rahman; Executive Directors Mahbubul Alam and Rezaul Karim; Director Abu Rayhan Mohammad Mutasim Billah; Additional Director Nazrul Islam; Joint Director Rashedul Islam; Deputy Directors Bony Yeamin, Al Islam, Shahidul Islam, and Touhidul Islam; Assistant Directors Johnny Hossain, Raihan Kabir, Sajjad Hossain, and Abdul Baten; Librarian Md Salim Reza Bappi; and Personal Officer Abu Yusuf.

The BSEC formed an investigation committee in September last year. Based on the investigation report, the BSEC took steps and issued show-cause notices to several officials.

The FIR stated that BSEC officials who had come under investigation in recent regulatory actions against irregularities and corrupt practices ganged up on the chairman and commissioners.