Constable injured after battery-run rickshaw drivers attack police box in Chattogram
Two suspects have been detained in connection with the attack
A traffic police box was vandalised and a constable was injured in the Railgate area of Khulshi, Chattogram, last night (14 August) after a group of battery-run rickshaw drivers launched an attack during a police crackdown.
According to Khulshi Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Aftab Hossain, the incident began yesterday afternoon when a joint team of Khulshi and traffic police launched a drive against the unauthorised three-wheelers in the port city's Jalalabad area.
"As the team moved towards Wireless Mor and Ambagan, groups of rickshaw drivers gathered to block them. Simultaneously, another group moved to the Khulshi Railgate area and vandalised the North Division traffic police box," he noted.
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"The drivers threw bricks at the police box, injuring an on-duty constable. They also stole the bag of the traffic sergeant stationed there," said OC Aftab.
Two suspects were detained in connection with the attack, he added.
The Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) banned battery-run rickshaws on 8 September last year, but enforcement was minimal.
The issue resurfaced in April this year after a child died when a battery-run rickshaw fell into a canal, prompting Chattogram City Mayor Shahadat Hossain to call for strict action.
This led to extensive drives by police and executive magistrates, who seized thousands of rickshaws and batteries.
These operations had previously triggered multiple clashes between police and drivers, temporarily reducing the presence of the three-wheelers on major roads.
However, the illegal vehicles have recently returned in large numbers, leading the CMP to issue a public notice on 11 August, urging citizens not to use them.
