Battery-powered rickshaw drivers block road in front of Press Club for an hour

Battery-powered rickshaw drivers staged a protest and blocked the road in front of the National Press Club in the capital on Monday.

They initially gathered in Paltan at around 11:00 am before blocking the road in front of the National Press Club. The road remained closed to traffic for an hour.

According to eyewitnesses and police, the protesting drivers forced several passengers to get out of the rickshaws during the blockade, causing them inconvenience.

Police said the rickshaw drivers were protesting and blocked the road over several demands. The drivers demanded that battery-powered rickshaws charged using legal electricity connections not be disconnected. They also demanded that illegal connections not be disconnected.

Meanwhile, four rickshaw drivers were detained several days ago and sent to jail through executive magistrates. The protesting drivers also demanded their release.

Sheikh Zahidul Islam, deputy commissioner of police in the Ramna division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), told Prothom Alo at noon that the rickshaw drivers had gathered there over several demands.

He further said police later went to the scene and brought the situation under control. Traffic is now moving normally.