Dhaka, Bangladesh was engulfed in chaos on Friday, July 19, as tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of the capital city. A brutal crackdown by police and clashes with governing party activists had left dozens of students dead, pushing the city to its limits.
Among the chaos, rickshaw pullers like Shaheen found themselves in the midst of the turmoil. Despite the dangers, they braved the violence to save lives and support their families as Bangladesh plunged into its bloodiest clashes in years.
‘I didn’t charge any fare’
The rickshaw pullers, who usually earn around 800-1000 taka a day, saw their earnings plummet as protests and curfews paralyzed the city. Yet, driven by the need to survive and support their families, they continued to take to the streets, ferrying injured protesters to hospitals without charging a fare.
A city recovering
As tensions continued to simmer, rickshaw pullers like Shahabuddin and Zahangir braved the violence, facing exhaustion and fear. They longed for a return to peace, knowing that the lives of ordinary people like them had been put on hold.
*The last names of the rickshaw pullers have been withheld to protect their identities.
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