Staff Reporter:
Dhaka’s railway communication with other parts of the country resumed after four hours as the agitating rickshaw pullers stood aside from their protest in Dhaka’s Jurain area on Friday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, they staged a demonstration in the area by blocking both road and railway routes against the government’s drive to remove battery-run three-wheelers from the city streets.
While talking to reporters, Kamalapur Railway Station Master Md Anwar Hossain, said Rajshahi and Khulna-bound trains left the station via Dhaka-Narayanganj and Padma Bridge around 3 pm.
The demonstration escalated into a confrontation with the members of law enforcement agencies, resulting in chase-and-counter-chase incidents.
Shopkeepers shut down their business establishments as tension flared during sporadic clashes in and around the area.
The rickshaw drivers’ blockade halted at least two trains — Narayanganj Commuter Train and Nakshikantha Commuter Train, consequently, train services between Dhaka-Narayanganj and Dhaka-Mawa-Padma Bridge came to a standstill.
Eyewitnesses reported that the blockade severely disrupted Dhaka’s transport network, leaving the city almost paralyzed.
The protest follows a High Court directive issued on Tuesday (November 18) by Justices Fatema Najib and Mahmudur Raji, which ordered the cessation of battery-powered rickshaw operations within the Dhaka Metropolitan area within three days.
Following the order, rickshaw drivers began staging protests in various parts of the capital.
A similar protest on Thursday also led to a clash with law enforcement, disrupting train services for nearly six hours.
Protesters have declared that they will not comply with the High Court’s decision.
They vow to continue their movement until they are granted permission to operate their rickshaws.
