Battery-run rickshaw drivers block road in Demra to protest police action

The protesters occupied the road in front of the Demra Staff Quarter from Saturday morning to the afternoon, interrupting traffic on Bhulta Road.

Battery-run rickshaws have been running on roads in Demra and its surrounding areas recently in violation of the law, said Shafiqur Rahman, chief of Demra Police Station, reports bdnews24.com.

The presence of the vehicles led to heavy congestion and road accidents, he added.

Police then conducted an operation against these rickshaws and even seized some of them.

The rickshaw drivers, spurred by owners, then blocked the road on Saturday to protest the seizure of their vehicles, said OC Shafiqur.

The protest led to a major disruption of regular traffic in the area. Senior officials came to the scene, spoke to the protesters and then got them to remove themselves from the road, he said.

They have been told not to go on the highways and the main thoroughfares with their rickshaws, the OC said. If they stick to the streets, alleys and byways, police will leave them alone, according to him.

After receiving the assurances, the protesters called off their protest.