Battery-run rickshaw drivers stage protest at Press Club, demand end to 'police harassment'

Battery-run rickshaw drivers staged a protest in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Monday (5 October), demanding an end to what they described as harassment by traffic police and pressed several other demands.

The protest began around 10:30am, when groups of drivers gathered in front of the Press Club in small processions. By 11:30am, several thousand protesters had blocked both sides of the road, bringing traffic movement in the area to a halt.

Shahbagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Moniruzzaman told The Business Standard that several thousand autorickshaw drivers had blocked the road in front of the Press Club over various demands.

"Traffic movement came to a halt due to their blockade," he said, adding that the protesters left the area in a procession around 12:30pm.

During the protest, demonstrators chanted slogans including "Stop police harassment" and "Where there is a road, auto-rickshaws will ply."

Some protesters were reportedly seen disconnecting the cables of autorickshaws that continued to operate on the road despite the protest.

At a rally, speakers alleged that autorickshaws were being seized on the roads and taken to dumping yards. They said fines ranging from 2,000 taka to 3,000 taka were being imposed, making it difficult for low-income drivers to pay the fines or retrieve their vehicles.

They also alleged that connections to autorickshaw charging points were being cut.

The protesters demanded an end to vehicle dumping and police harassment and called for unrestricted movement of autorickshaws on all roads in the capital.

They warned of tougher programmes if their demands were not addressed and said they would continue the protest until their demands were met.

Around 12:30pm, the protesters left the road and headed towards Paltan in a procession.

The protest comes amid concerns over the rising number of battery-run rickshaws and their unregulated movement on busy main roads, which can contribute to traffic congestion and raise safety issues.

Today’s protest also significantly reduced the number of autorickshaws operating in the capital, leaving commuters struggling to find transport and causing inconvenience.