Ishraque’s supporters announce fresh 'blockade' programme

Supporters of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain, who has been declared mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) by a court verdict, have announced a "blockade" of the DSCC headquarters, Nagar Bhaban, for tomorrow.

The announcement came during a protest today, demanding Ishraque's official instatement as DSCC mayor.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters under the banner Dhakabashi, organiser and former secretary Moshiur Rahman said, "We will stage a sit-in from 11:00am to 3:00pm tomorrow to suspend all operations at Nagar Bhaban. The blockade will remain in effect throughout this period."

Since yesterday, Ishraque's supporters kept all the eight entry points padlocked as part of their ongoing protest started on May 14, protesting the government's delay in appointing Ishraque as mayor.

From around 9:30am today, people from different parts of Dhaka began marching towards the DSCC headquarters. As the crowd grew, the protest started disruption in vehicular movement in front of the Nagar Bhaban.

On March 27, the Dhaka First Joint District Judge and Electoral Tribunal declared Ishraque Hossain, a BNP Foreign Affairs Committee member, as the rightful mayor of DSCC. Following the verdict, the Election Commission published a gazette notification on April 27 officially recognising him as mayor.