Supporters of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain continued their sit-in for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday demanding his swearing-in as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
Demonstrators from different parts of the city gathered in front of the Nagar Bhaban in the morning and staged sin-in.
They locked several entry gates and took position at the entrances, disrupting administrative activities at the DSCC offices.
The chanted various slogans including “We demand oath for brother Ishraque”, why delay in oath-taking”, and “People’s mayor Ishraque bhai, there is no other mayor.”
Shafiur Rahman, a BNP activist from Old Dhaka, alleged that deliberate delays are being made in handing over mayoral responsibilities to Ishraque, blaming LGRD adviser Asif Mahbud Sajib Bhuiyan for the situation.
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"We will continue our protest until our demand is met," he said.
Jehad Hossain, who came from Sutrapur, said, “Ishraque was elected in public vote. We want to see him assume office without further delay.”
Protesters warned of larger demonstrations if the oath-taking ceremony is not held soon.
On Saturday, Ishraque's supporters marched toward the Secretariat and declared the adviser "unwelcome".
Currently, the Local Government Ministry is operating from the DSCC building due to fire damage at the Secretariat last December.
Earlier, Ishraque submitted a letter to the Local Government Division requesting necessary steps for his swearing-in followed by a press briefing in the evening.
Meanwhile, DSCC Chief Executive Officer Zillur Rahman told the media that administrative work has been hampered due to the ongoing protests.
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The latest city corporation election was held on February 1, 2020, where Awami League's Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh defeated Ishraque by a margin of nearly 200,000 votes.
On March 27 this year, the Dhaka election tribunal annulled that result and declared Ishraque as mayor.
The Election Commission published a gazette confirming Ishraque’s mayorship on April 27, but the oath-taking has yet to take place.