Dhaka, Feb. 25 -- Officials at Bangladesh Bank have forcibly removed Ahsan Ullah, advisor to the governor, shortly after outgoing Governor Ahsan H Mansur faced criticism from staff who labelled him "authoritarian".

The Bangladesh Bank Officers Welfare Council, demanding the cancellation of all contract-based appointments, staged a protest at the central bank around Wednesday noon, pressing for the withdrawal of three transfers and show-cause notices.

About an hour later, Ahsan held a press conference at Bangladesh Bank.

While he addressed the media, the Ministry of Finance's Financial Institutions Division initiated the process to appoint a new governor. By 2pm, Mansur had left the bank.

Immediately afterwards, the protesting officers...