Battery-run rickshaw drivers block road in front of press club
Auto-rickshaw drivers staged a sit-in on the road in front of the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka today, demanding an end to what they described as police harassment, among other demands.
Several hundred drivers began gathering around 10:00am and blocked the road, witnesses said.
They chanted slogans such as "Stop police harassment" and "Where there is a road, auto-rickshaws will ply." Protesters were also seen disconnecting the cables of auto-rickshaws that kept plying the road despite the protest.
The drivers later brought out a procession and ended the programme around 12:30pm. Traffic from Paltan intersection to the Jatiya Press Club is now normal.
A driver told The Daily Star that police charged them Tk 1,200-2,500 when they were caught on the road. "We want an end to police harassment," he said.
The blockade left many commuters walking to their destinations. The absence of auto-rickshaws also left passengers travelling short distances, or to areas poorly served by buses, with fewer affordable options.
Shahed Alam, a private-sector employee living in Moghbazar, said there were no auto-rickshaws on the roads when he left for work at 10:45am, while many people were waiting for vehicles. Ride-sharing services were also in high demand, so he started walking.
It took him more than 40 minutes to reach his office in Karwan Bazar. He saw only a few auto-rickshaws on the way, and protesting drivers soon stopped them.
"So, there were hundreds of people who were unaware of the protest beforehand and suddenly found themselves in deep trouble, looking for transportation," he said.
The protest comes amid growing concern over the rising number of battery-run rickshaws and their unregulated movement on busy main roads, which can add to congestion and raise safety concerns.
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