For the second consecutive week, supporters of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain and a significant section of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) employees continued their sit-in protest outside the Nagar Bhaban on Sunday, demanding that Ishraque be sworn in as mayor.
The protest, which began on 14 May, was briefly paused for 48 hours last week but has since resumed with full force. As a result, all civic services under the DSCC have come to a standstill, causing widespread public inconvenience.
By midday Sunday, the gates of the Nagar Bhaban remained padlocked, blocking access to service seekers.
Protesters under the banner of “Dhakabashi” (Citizens of Dhaka) chanted slogans and staged regular processions within the Nagar Bhaban premises, calling for the immediate appointment of Ishraque as mayor.
“The people’s mayor must be given charge,” said one demonstrator. “We won’t return home until he assumes office.”
Since 15 May, all gates of the Nagar Bhaban have remained locked, preventing access to public service offices inside the compound. Essential services, including trade licence renewals, birth and death registrations, and holding tax payments, have been suspended indefinitely.
“I’ve been coming here for three days just to correct a name on a document, but they won’t even let us in,” said Nasrin Jahan, a housewife from Dhanmondi. “This is unacceptable.”
Due to the ongoing protest, many DSCC officials are effectively on unofficial leave. With entry barred, most administrative work has come to a halt.
The building also houses the Local Government Division office, which has remained non-operational since 15 May. Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain has been unable to resume office there since that date.
The protest stems from a verdict delivered on 27 March by Judge Md Nurul Islam of Dhaka’s First Joint District and Sessions Court and Election Tribunal.
The ruling annulled the results of the 2020 DSCC mayoral election and declared Ishraque the rightful winner. The court further instructed that an official gazette be issued within ten days — a directive that has yet to be implemented.
On Thursday, the BNP temporarily suspended the sit-in for 48 hours. However, when no progress was made within that period, DSCC staff resumed their protest on Saturday morning, occupying the ground floor of the Nagar Bhaban.
Former secretary Moshiur Rahman, who is coordinating the movement, said, “The BNP agreed to pause the movement for 48 hours. But unless Ishraque is handed over official responsibilities, the sit-in will continue.”
As the protest enters a new week and the city corporation’s paralysis stretches on, citizens and stakeholders await a resolution that could either confirm Ishraque Hossain’s mayorship or prolong the capital’s civic disruption.