Ridesharing motorcyclists have gathered in front of the National Press Club in a show of protest after police enforced the government’s halt order amid a record surge in coronavirus cases.
More than 500 motorcycle riders blocked the road past the National Press Club in Dhaka on Thursday and shouted slogans while blaring horns to protest what they said was ‘harassment’, reports bdnews24.com.
Hafizur Rahman, a student of Kabi Nazrul Government College, taking part in the protest, said he bought a motorcycle in installments after losing his job as a kindergarten teacher.
He had been running his family through the ridesharing services, but now police are handing them ‘fines at every step’ on account of health rules, Hafizur said.
Arman Sheikh, a BBA student of Bangladesh Islami University, said, “Police filed a case of Tk 6,000 against one of my acquaintances for riding a motorcycle.”
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority ordered a halt to motorcycle ridesharing services on Wednesday.
The order for the app-based motorcycle services will be effective initially for two weeks, BRTA said.
It said other government instructions for the transport sector must be followed strictly as well.
Angered by the move, riders questioned why motorcycle ridesharing services were suspended, whereas buses and autorickshaws were allowed to move about in their ‘crowded state’.
There were reports of protests by ridesharing bikers in other areas of Dhaka as well.
Bangladesh suspended motorcycle ridesharing in March 2020 after the detection of the first coronavirus cases. Most of the pandemic restrictions were lifted on May 31 last year, but the authorities allowed motorcycle ride-hailing services to resume sometime later.
