Supporters of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain have brought all civic services at Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Nagar Bhaban to a standstill by blocking the main gate and padlocking all departmental offices.
They have been staging a continuous sit-in protest, demanding that Ishraque be sworn in as mayor.
A significant number of DSCC employees have also joined the movement.
Since the Monday morning , protesters have staged demonstrations on the steps of the inner gate of Nagar Bhaban, chanting various slogans. As a result, all services provided from the building remained suspended, causing significant inconvenience to service seekers.
Supporters of Ishraque participating in the protest said that they do not know the reason behind the delay in swearing him in as mayor. “The gates of Nagar Bhaban will not be unlocked unless Ishraque Hossain is sworn in. He is the people's mayor, and every resident of the city wants him in that role. Until our demand is met, we will keep all DSCC services suspended and continue our movement,” they declared.
The DSCC election took place on February 1, 2020. At the time, Awami League candidate Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh was declared the winner. Alleging irregularities and corruption in the election, Ishraque filed a case on March 3, 2020, demanding the results be scrapped.
Following the uprising of students and citizens that led to the fall of the Awami League government, the Dhaka Election Tribunal on March 27 of this year annulled the previous result and declared Ishraque Hossain, son of late former undivided Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, as the new mayor.
Subsequently, on April 27, the Election Commission published a gazette notification declaring Ishraque as the DSCC mayor. However, on May 14, a writ petition was filed at the High Court to prevent him from being sworn in.
In response, Ishraque’s supporters launched a protest on May 15 demanding that he be handed over mayoral responsibilities. Citing legal complications, the Ministry of Local Government refrained from arranging his swearing-in.
After several hearings, the High Court bench ultimately dismissed the writ petition. That afternoon, Ishraque announced a 48-hour suspension of the protest, allowing time for his swearing-in. Since then, his supporters have resumed their movement, continuing it without interruption.
