Savar: Battery-run autorickshaw pullers blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway in Savar on Saturday, demanding an end to alleged police harassment and extortion while calling for alternative employment if authorities bar them from operating on the roads.
According to United News of Bangladesh, hundreds of drivers gathered at Pakija More around noon, parking their rickshaws across the highway. This act of protest disrupted traffic for nearly two hours, causing long tailbacks on both sides of the busy route. The demonstrators expressed their grievances, stating that if the government does not permit them to drive auto-rickshaws, it should provide them with jobs to support their families.
The protesters alleged that despite restrictions on three-wheelers on highways, many are forced to operate for their livelihoods. They claimed to be regularly stopped by highway police, who allegedly compel them to pay Tk 2,600 without receipts. Drivers reported that they often earn only Tk 600 to Tk 700 a day after working long hours in the heat and are forced to borrow money to secure the release of seized vehicles.
One protester stated, “We want relief from this harassment. If rickshaws are not allowed on the roads, then the factories producing them should also be shut down, or we should be given alternative employment.” The blockade resulted in severe traffic congestion from Savar Bazar bus stand to Genda and Hemayetpur, leaving passengers stranded in intense heat. Ambulances and emergency vehicles were also caught in the gridlock.
At around 1:45 pm, the protesters withdrew the blockade after Savar Model Police Station Inspector (Operations) Helal Uddin assured them that the issue would be discussed with highway police authorities. Responding to the allegations, Officer-in-Charge Sheikh Shahjahan of Savar Highway Police Station denied claims of extortion. He stated that police were enforcing existing laws that prohibit the movement of three-wheelers, CNG-run vehicles, and e-bikes on highways. He further explained that the Tk 2,600 collected was part of the legal process for releasing seized vehicles, including a Tk 2,500 fine and a Tk 100 bank charge under Section 39 of the law.