THE delay in resolving the crisis that has engulfed the Dhaka South City Corporation and resulted in the suspension of public services is gravely concerning. Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Ishraque Hossain — including members of several DSCC workers’ unions — have been staging demonstrations since May 14. This follows a March 27 verdict by an Election Commission tribunal that declared the BNP leader the DSCC mayor, after hearing his long-standing challenge to the 2020 DSCC mayoral election results. The demonstrators have since disrupted operations at the DSCC headquarters, Nagar Bhaban and at the corporation’s zonal offices, demanding that the BNP leader be sworn in as mayor. On June 2, dozens of BNP supporters gathered in front of Nagar Bhaban, chanting slogans and iterating their demand for Ishraque Hossain to be sworn in. Meanwhile, service-seekers from various DSCC areas were forced to return home without receiving basic civic services. The continued suspension of services for over two weeks at DSCC offices has caused significant hardship for thousands of residents who are being denied essential services such as tax filing, issuance of birth and death certificates, and trade licences. Additionally, the disruption of other critical services — such as dengue prevention — poses a growing threat to public health.
What is particularly unacceptable is that although the crisis had appeared to be mired in legal complexities, those issues have now been cleared, yet no meaningful steps have been taken to resolve it. This inaction reinforces the widespread perception that the crisis is now political rather than legal. The legal dispute, if it can even be termed such, arose from a writ petition filed by a lawyer on May 13 seeking a stay on the April 27 Election Commission gazette that reflected the tribunal’s ruling in favour of the BNP leader. However, the High Court summarily rejected the petition on May 22, and the Appellate Division on May 29 disposed of a leave-to-appeal petition seeking a stay on the judgement and the gazette. The Appellate Division further observed that the Election Commission should carry out its constitutional responsibilities independently and in accordance with the law. Therefore, no apparent legal barrier remains to prevent the swearing-in of the BNP leader as the DSCC mayor. The ongoing delay is increasingly perceived as a political manoeuvre by certain individuals within or aligned with the government. In response, the BNP leader and his supporters have warned of tougher actions if the issue is not resolved which would only deepen public suffering.
The government must, therefore, act without further delay to bring an end to the crisis. At the same time, the BNP leader’s supporters must exercise restraint and ensure that citizens’ access to public services is not obstructed.
