Supporters of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain on Wednesday staged angry protests blocking major intersections in Dhaka, including the Nagar Bhaban area, Matsya Bhaban and Kakrail, demanding Ishraque’ oath taking as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
Following the protest, all civic services of the DSCC have been suspended for the six consecutive days due to the protests by supporters of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain and work stoppages by various employee unions.
DSCC Administrator Md Shahjahan Mia said, as the Nagar Bhaban remains locked, all services inside the building are shut down. In addition, the eight regional offices located outside the Nagar Bhaban are also closed.
Protests began after 11am at Matsya Bhaban intersection, causing severe traffic disruptions and public suffering. Demonstrators also gathered in front of Nagar Bhaban, the South City Corporation headquarters, chanting slogans in support of Ishraque and calling for his immediate swearing-in as mayor.The protesters warned that if their demand is not met, they would escalate their movement and "bring Dhaka to a standstill." They also threatened to besiege the High Court if a ruling favourable to Ishraq is not issued.
Convener of the Dhaka Metropolitan South unit of Sramik Dal, Md.Suman Bhuiyan, told TBS, "We believe the court will rule in Ishraque's favour. At the same time, we demand the resignation of Adviser Asif. If the court delivers an unjust verdict, we may even lay siege to the High Court. We understand that the NCP has filed the writ through their people. So, if there's any delay or manipulation with the verdict, we will not tolerate it."
He further said, "In practice, the High Court is already under siege. Even if we don't announce it formally, our presence surrounds almost all nearby roads. After Asif became an adviser, he got a trade license and started a business through his father. We have seen that this advisor now owns assets worth Tk400 crore. Even his personal assistants were involved in corruption. We demand that the government investigate Asif Mahmud's corruption. People across the country want a proper investigation into the assets of advisers."
Md Mashiur Rahman, a member of the Dhaka Metropolitan South BNP, said, "If Ishraq Hossain is not handed over the responsibility of mayor today, we may be compelled to lay siege to the court if necessary. Right now, we are in Kakrail near the residence of the chief adviser, and to press our demands, we may also stage a sit-in in front of his residence."
All civic services of DSCC halted
All civic services of the DSCC have been suspended due to recent protests by supporters of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain and work stoppages by various employee unions.
DSCC Administrator Md Shahjahan Mia said, as the Nagar Bhaban remains locked, all services inside the building are shut down. In addition, the eight regional offices located outside the Nagar Bhaban are also closed.
He said, "For the past few days, all civic services inside the Nagar Bhaban have been suspended. The regional offices outside the Nagar Bhaban are also closed. As a result, we are unable to provide any civic services to the residents of DSCC."
When asked whether there had been any discussions with the DSCC employee unions, he replied, "We have informed our higher authorities of the matter. They will make any necessary decisions."
It should be mentioned, the DSCC election was held on February 1 in 2020, in which Awami League (AL) candidate Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh was elected mayor.
The Election Commission published the gazette of the election results on February 2. Taposh then took the oath and has been performing his duties since then.
Taposh received more than 425,000 votes in that election for the Dhaka South mayoral position. His closest competitor, Ishraque, received 236,000 votes.
Citing irregularities and corruption, Ishraque Hossain filed a case on March 3 in 2020 seeking to nullify the results.
Following the Awami League government's fall amid a mass uprising last August, the mayors of all city corporations across the country were removed.
Since then, Additional Secretary Shahjahan Miah has been serving as the administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation.
Meanwhile, on March 27, Dhaka's First Joint District Judge and Election Tribunal Judge Md Nurul Islam cancelled the election results that had declared Fazle Noor Taposh as the winner of the 2020 DSCC election and declared BNP leader Ishraque Hossain as the mayor.
The court ordered the gazette to be published in 10 days. Following this ruling, the Election Commission published the gazette on April 27.
On the day of the gazette publication, two individuals, Rafiqul Islam and Mamunur Rashid, issued legal notices appealing against the ruling that declared Ishraque Hossain as the mayor of DSCC.
The notices urged restraint from publishing the gazette and from Ishraque taking the oath.
Their lawyer said the ruling was issued hastily without following proper procedures. "We thought the Election Commission would challenge this order. They didn't. News reports showed the law affairs adviser as saying that the notification was issued without waiting for the opinion that was sought from the Ministry of Law."
"The tribunal cannot issue an order that has no validity. The term has already ended. The mayoral position was vacated through an ordinance," he added.
Later, Mamunur Rashid filed a writ petition with the High Court. The petition requested a rule asking why the March 27 ruling and the April 27 gazette should not be declared illegal, and why directions should not be given to prevent Ishraque Hossain from taking the oath.
The petition also sought suspension of the ruling and gazette while the rule is under consideration.
Meanwhile, Ishraque's supporters have initiated a blockade programme at Nagar Bhaban, demanding that he be sworn in as the mayor of DSCC.
They have been carrying out these programmes for the past few days.
