Ishraque's supporters block key city points, vow to continue protest until his oath-taking

Protesters blocked major intersections in Dhaka – including the Nagar Bhaban area, Matsya Bhaban intersection, and Kakrail intersection – demanding BNP leader Ishraque Hossain's oath-taking as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation.

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.

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 Ishraque is not issued.

Meanwhile, the High Court today (21 May) deferred until 10:45am today the delivery of its order on a writ petition that sought a stay on the Election Commission's decision to declare Ishraque as the Dhaka South mayor.

On 27 March, Dhaka's First Joint District Judge and Election Tribunal Judge Md Nurul Islam overturned the 2020 Dhaka South election result, declaring Ishraque as the rightful winner as its mayor.

The EC on 27 April issued a gazette notification declaring Ishraque as the Dhaka South mayor.

One Mamunur Rashid, a resident of Dhaka South, on 14 May filed the writ petition to the HC, challenging the legality of the tribunal's verdict and EC's gazette notification.

Ishraque's supporters have been carrying out protest programmes for the past few days. They said their next steps will depend on the court's decision and confirmed that their ongoing demonstration in front of Nagar Bhaban will continue until then.

Five employee unions of Dhaka South also threatened to suspend all civic services, including waste management, if Ishraque is not allowed to assume office.

Ishraque urges advisers Asif, Mahfuj to resign

In a Facebook post from his verified account today, Ishraque called on interim government advisers Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan and Mahfuj Alam to step down from all their responsibilities.

The BNP leader wrote, "In the spirit of democratic values and political decorum, I urge advisers Asif Mahmud and Mahfuj Alam to resign from all responsibilities of the interim government on justifiable grounds.

"It appears that you are already associated with political parties and may soon be formally involved. It also seems likely that you plan to contest in the upcoming elections. So, is it unreasonable to ask for your resignation? Or wouldn't stepping down be the right move to end political controversy surrounding your roles?" the post reads.

He continued, "You should follow the example set by Nahid Islam. He could have continued as a minister for a few more days before joining the NCP, but he chose to resign instead. There was a time when leaders like Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah were urged to take ministerial posts, but they declined, choosing instead to pursue politics independently."

Commenting on the standoff over his assumption of office as mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation, the BNP leader wrote, "Anyone with the slightest political awareness can see that the effort to block me has been a joint decision from the beginning. But I would say it was a flawed policy – and you, Asif Bhuiyan, ended up being the one used in the process."

City services come to a halt

All citizen services under Dhaka South have come to a complete halt due to the days-long protest, Dhaka South Administrator Md Shahjahan Miah told TBS today.

"The protesters have completely locked down Nagar Bhaban, making it impossible to carry out any official activities. Essential services such as birth and death registration, citizenship certificates, inheritance documents, and land transfer procedures are all suspended," he said.

The administrator added that eight regional offices of the Dhaka South located outside the central building, have also ceased operations as pro-BNP employees of various departments also joined the protesters, further widening the scale of service disruption across the city.

"All mosquito control chemicals are stored inside Nagar Bhaban, which remains inaccessible. As a result, anti-mosquito drives have been completely stopped. Similarly, fuel required for waste collection vehicles needs approval from Nagar Bhaban, which is currently impossible. Solid waste is now piling up at Secondary Transfer Stations (STSs) across the city as transportation to landfills has been halted," Shahjahan explained.