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BNP leader Ishraque Hossain has instructed his supporters to remain on the streets as long as is necessary to press home their demand that he be sworn in as mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
In a post on his verified Facebook page at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, he wrote: “I have only one instruction – stay on the streets as long as is necessary.”
His supporters are conducting sit-in demonstrations at Dhaka’s Kakrail and Matsya Bhaban areas to push for his immediate installation as mayor of Dhaka South, bdnews24.com reports.
Ishraque’s supporters have been conducting protests since May 14. On Tuesday, they said that if Ishraque was not sworn in by 10:00 am on Wednesday, they would escalate their protest programme.
The city authority's Workers Union also warned they would halt all service in the DSCC area if the demand was not met.
Ishraque shared videos and news stories of Wednesday’s programme on his Facebook page.
Then, at 2:30 pm, he wrote in a post: “A sea of Dhaka residents are attending the sit-in demonstration. Their demand is that Ishraque Hossain be handed the responsibility of DSCC mayor.”
Activities at Nagar Bhaban, the headquarters of the DSCC administration, have ground to a halt for the past few days amid the protests. No official work is being done at the offices and people who come seeking services are suffering.
The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives is also operating out of the building at the moment. The protests have also blocked Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain from attending his office.
The last DSCC election was held on February 1, 2020. The Awami League’s Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh beat Ishraque in the polls by a margin of nearly 200,000 votes.
After the changeover in power, the Dhaka Election Tribunal annulled the results of the polls and declared Ishraque, the son of the late mayor of the undivided Dhaka City Corporation, as the mayor on March 27.
The Election Commission published a gazette declaring Ishraque the mayor of the DSCC on April 27. However, his oath-taking ceremony has yet to be held, prompting his supporters to launch protests demanding that Ishraque be sworn in.