Unyielding Ishraque supporters firm on demand as protests continue at Nagar Bhaban

Braving the rain at Nagar Bhaban, supporters of Ishraque Hossain have continued pressing home their demand that the BNP leader be sworn in as the Dhaka South mayor.

The sit-in demonstration began after 11am on Thursday, reports bdnews24.com.

Organised by Ishraque supporters and city corporation employees, the movement under the banner of “Dhakabashi”, or residents of Dhaka, has continued protesting for two weeks.

All civic services remained suspended as the protesters occupied the headquarters of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), bolting all the entrances.

As the word spread that Ishraque would be arriving at Nagar Bhaban, more supporters and activists flocked to the protest site, and in the afternoon, the crowd swelled with the downpour showing signs of easing.

Moshiur Rahman, a key coordinator of the movement and former secretary, said: “We will not accept any delay in the oath-taking ceremony. He (Ishraque) must be allowed to take office.

“If this doesn’t happen, we will launch an even tougher movement. In a short while, the people’s mayor, Ishraque Hossain, will join the protesters at Nagar Bhaban.”

The most recent DSCC election was held on Feb 1, 2020. Awami League candidate Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh defeated BNP’s Ishraque, son of former Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, by nearly 200,000 votes in the polls.

Following the change in government, the Dhaka Election Tribunal on Mar 27 annulled the 2020 results and declared Ishraque the rightful mayor. The EC subsequently published a gazette notification on Apr 27, formally recognising him as DSCC mayor.

However, on May 14, a resident of Dhaka South and Supreme Court lawyer Md Mamunur Rashid filed a writ petition in the High Court seeking to halt Ishraque’s swearing-in.

In response, Ishraque’s supporters began protesting the same day, demanding that he be sworn in. Their demonstrations brought administrative operations at Nagar Bhaban to a virtual standstill.

Citing legal complexities, the Local Government Division held back on arranging the swearing-in until the matter was resolved in the judiciary. Ishraque has expressed his anger over the decision and has demanded the resignation of Local Government Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain over the delay.

The High Court dismissed the petition on May 22 on the grounds that the petitioner did not have the jurisdiction to file such a plea.

The petitioner then filed an appeal in the Appellate Division against the High Court order on Monday.

After hearing the leave to appeal, the Appellate Division disposed of the petition with observations on Thursday.