Dhaka’s rickshaw pullers turn life-savers during Bangladesh quota protests

Risking bullets, they stepped out of their homes to save their livelihoods. They ended up saving lives too.

Dhaka, Bangladesh – The air crackled with tension in Mouchak, a central district of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka. It was Friday, July 19, and the streets were already filled with tens of thousands of protesters, their fury heightened by the deadly events of the previous day. A brutal police crackdown and clashes with activists of the governing Awami League party had claimed the lives of dozens of students, pushing the city to its limits.

The usual tranquility of the weekly Jummah prayer, a time for Muslim peaceful reflection, was hours away. Right then, the atmosphere was charged with unrest. Police, overwhelmed and outnumbered, retreated amid a barrage of stones, using tear gas and sound grenades in a desperate bid to maintain control amid mounting chaos.

A group of rickshaw pullers found themselves caught in the fray. A tear gas shell flew towards them, prompting a hasty retreat towards the nearby Malibagh Circle, a bustling avenue. Their retreat was accompanied by defiant voices raised in protest against the authorities: “If anything happens to us [rickshaw pullers], we will ignite fires in every house!”

Among them was Shaheen, originally from Cumilla district some 180km (112 miles) away.

“It was a horrifying scene,” he recounted, his voice trembling, the memory still vivid in his mind. “The police were firing at the protesters, who were retaliating by throwing stones. I managed to escape unharmed by pedalling my rickshaw as fast as possible to save my life.”

Yet, the rickshaw pullers didn’t just escape — they saved lives as Bangladesh descended into the bloodiest clashes it has seen in years. What had begun as