The movement demanding the swearing-in of Ishraque Hossain as Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has now entered its second month, with supporters and members of the DSCC Employees’ Union continuing their sit-in protest in front of Nagar Bhaban.
Following a 10-day Eid holiday, government offices reopened on Sunday, but the gates of Nagar Bhaban remained locked.
Protesters gathered in front of the building from the morning, chanting slogans and demanding that Ishraque Hossain be formally handed over the mayoral responsibilities.
Due to the locked gates, city corporation employees and officials were unable to enter the office, severely disrupting routine operations.
Many officials reported arriving at the building but being unable to perform their duties as access was still restricted.
The protest initially began on May 14 under the banner of `Dhakabashi,` when supporters of Ishraque Hossain and members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) staged a sit-in outside Nagar Bhaban. Soon after, the DSCC Employees’ Union joined the movement.
The situation stems from a decision by Dhaka’s Election Tribunal on March 27, which overturned the results of the 2020 Dhaka South City Corporation election.
In that election, Ishraque Hossain was defeated by a margin of nearly 200,000 votes. However, the tribunal later declared Ishraque Hossain the rightful mayor.
Following the tribunal’s decision, the Election Commission published a gazette on April 27 officially recognizing Ishraque Hossain as the mayor.
Despite this, the Ministry of Local Government has not yet arranged for his oath-taking ceremony, citing legal complications.
As a result, supporters of Ishraque have escalated their protests, effectively paralyzing operations at the Nagar Bhaban for over a month.
The ongoing standoff continues to disrupt the daily administrative functions of Dhaka South City Corporation, with no immediate resolution in sight.
