" How Bangladesh rickshaw pullers saved lives amid quota protest clashes", 26 July 2024

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 a student-led protest for quota reforms in government jobs had erupted into a nationwide upheaval, fuelled by escalating violence and broader frustrations with the government.

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Through it all, the city’s defiant rickshaw pullers were out on the streets.

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An estimated 400,000 to 600,000 rickshaws navigate the city’s thoroughfares on any given day. The protests, the shutdown of businesses and the subsequent, strictly enforced curfew dealt a devastating blow to their earnings: Shaheen’s earnings plummeted to 150 taka ($1.28), — compared to the 800-1000 taka ($6.8 to $8.5) he usually earns — barely enough to cover the 120 taka ($1) rent owed to the rickshaw owner.

But staying at home amid the mayhem on the streets wasn’t an option.

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Venturing out amid the clashes was a matter of survival. “We brave the violence because we are hungry,” he said. “What is the use of living if I have to see tears in my mother’s eyes due to hunger?”

On July 19, that survival instinct also helped save many others.