Nagar Bhaban sealed for 2nd day by Ishraque supporters

Supporters of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain kept all gates of Nagar Bhaban -- the headquarters of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) -- padlocked for the second consecutive day yesterday, halting all service-related activities.

The protest, which began on May 14, was launched in response to what demonstrators claim is the government's delay in appointing Ishraque as mayor, despite a court verdict and official gazette recognising him as the DSCC mayor.

Operating under the banner of Dhakabashi, the protesters locked all entry points to Nagar Bhaban and staged demonstrations, demanding that Ishraque be allowed to assume office immediately.

No DSCC officials reported for duty yesterday. A group of them instead joined the protest and held a sit-in at the base of the building, chanting slogans such as "No office without the mayor!"

With all gates locked, including the main entrance, key civic services such as birth and death registration, trade licence issuance and renewal, and tax payments remained suspended.

From around 9:30am, people from different parts of the capital gathered in front of the DSCC headquarters, causing severe disruption to traffic in the surrounding areas.

Monju Ara Begum, a small business owner from Kamalapur, came to Nagar Bhaban to renew her trade licence, while Shamim Ara Bithi, from Swamibagh, came to enquire about her daughter's birth certificate. Speaking to this correspondent, both expressed frustration, saying the suspension of essential city corporation services for political protests was unacceptable.

On the fourth day of the protest yesterday, demonstrators also blocked adjacent roads for about two hours and announced a complete blockade today (Monday) from 11:00am to 3:00pm.

Visiting Nagar Bhaban in the afternoon, this correspondent observed thousands of protesters chanting slogans and demanding the resignation of LGRD Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain. Protesters alleged that Ishraque has been unable to take his oath due to interference by the adviser, despite the court's verdict and the gazette notification.

Asif Mahmud, whose temporary office is located within Nagar Bhaban, has reportedly not come to work in recent days due to the ongoing agitation.

Traffic in front of Nagar Bhaban came to a standstill between 10:00am and 12:00pm, resuming only after protesters left for a procession through Golap Shah Mazar, Zero Point, Purana Paltan, Jatiya Press Club and Education Bhaban, before returning to Nagar Bhaban.

Following the procession, former secretary Moshiur Rahman, speaking on behalf of the demonstrators, announced: "We'll stage a sit-in from 11:00am to 3:00pm tomorrow [today] to suspend all operations at the Nagar Bhaban. The blockade will remain in effect throughout this period."

On March 27, the Dhaka First Joint District Judge and Electoral Tribunal declared Ishraque Hossain, a member of the BNP's Foreign Affairs Committee, the rightful mayor of DSCC. The Election Commission issued a gazette on April 27 recognising the verdict.

As per law, the government must arrange the oath-taking within 30 days of gazette publication -- a deadline that is now fast approaching.

Meanwhile, the Local Government Division (LGD) sent a letter to the law ministry on May 15, seeking an opinion on whether any legal complications may arise from the verdict and the Election Commission's decision not to appeal it.

The letter, signed by LGD Joint Secretary Mahbuba Ireen and sent to the Law and Justice Division Secretary, states that the EC has decided not to challenge the court's verdict declaring Ishraque mayor. In light of this, the LGD requested legal opinion regarding further steps under Section 6 of the Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009.

However, the law ministry had yet to provide an opinion as of yesterday.

Contacted, Law and Justice Division Secretary Sheikh Abu Taher confirmed that no decision had been made regarding the LGD's request.

In a press statement yesterday, the LGRD ministry said that any subsequent legal and official actions would be determined following the High Court's verdict on writ petition No. 8137/2025. If the verdict contains directives towards the ministry, they will be followed accordingly. Otherwise, legal procedures will be undertaken to resolve tenure-related complexities, once the law ministry's opinion is received.

On April 28, the LGD received a legal notice from Supreme Court lawyer Md Mamunur Rashid, urging the ministry not to arrange the oath-taking ceremony of Ishraque and highlighting various inconsistencies and irregularities in the said verdict. Subsequently, Rashid filed a writ petition with the HC, challenging the legality of the verdict and decree dated March 27, of the Election Tribunal in Election Case No. 15/2020, as well as the revised gazette issued by the EC on April 27.

The writ sought a directive to the LGRD ministry to refrain from administering the oath to Ishraque, and also requested the law ministry to take departmental action against the tribunal judge for delivering a fraudulent verdict, the statement said.