Battery-run rickshaw drivers clashed with pedal rickshaw-pullers and local people on Monday morning, while protesting at a ban on battery-run rickshaws at Banani in the capital.
Confirming the matter, Banani police investigation inspector Mehedi Hasan said that the clash occurred at about 11:00am on Banani-11 road.
Referring to battery-run rickshaw drivers鈥� allegations, he said that people from Gulshan Society came to Banani on the day to stop them, triggering a tense situation.
鈥楾he drivers complained that Gulshan Society people wanted to thwart their movement despite they had no ban on them to ply in Banani. It led to a heated argument that led to a clash between the rickshaw drivers and those who came to stop them,鈥� he said.
In the about 20-minute long clash, battery-run rickshaw drivers also swooped on passers-by with sticks when they attempted to record the clash on mobile phones, inspector Mehedi said, adding that these rickshaw drivers tried to occupy various roads in Gulshan-Banani area and nearby main roads, causing traffic congestion in the surrounding areas.
Video clips of the incident spread on social media one of which showed that the police were trying to protect two journalists from the attacking battery-run rickshaw drivers.
The agitating battery-run rickshaw drivers also threw two pedal rickshaws from the bridge into the Gulshan Lake, according to the police.
The drivers were dispersed from the area after 1:00pm when Bangladesh Army personnel arrived at the scene and asked protesters to leave the roads within three minutes, the police said.
The ban on battery-run rickshaws in Gulshan and Banani areas, which came into effect on Saturday, was jointly enforced by the Gulshan and Banani societies, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, and Dhaka North City Corporation following complaints from residents over traffic congestion and road safety.
Under the new restrictions, battery-run rickshaws are prohibited from running on both main and inner roads in Gulshan-1, Gulshan-2 and Banani. Only registered pedal rickshaws are allowed to ply the roads of these areas.