Several hundred battery-run-rickshaw drivers vandalised five traffic police boxes in the capital’s Mirpur and Pallabi areas on Friday morning leaving three traffic police members seriously injured.

The drivers vandalised the traffic police boxes at Kalshi, Pallabi and Mirpur-12, Mirpur-10 crossing, according to the police.

Traffic constable Mizanur Rahman suffered serious injuries to his head while the two others were hospitalised as they suffered injuries from indiscriminate beating.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional deputy commissioner for traffic in Mirpur zone Mizanur Rahman said that based on the court’s directive, the police did not allow battery-run-rickshaws to ply across the main roads of the city.

Without complying with the directive, the drivers plied their auto-rickshaws on the main roads, raising serious concern for accidents, the police officer said.

Police seized two battery-run-rickshaws in Mirpur’s Kalshi area in the morning, drawing the ire of the rickshaw drivers.

Later, several hundred battery-run-rickshaw drivers attacked five traffic police boxes at Kalshi, Pallabi, Sagufta Crossing and Mirpur-12, Mirpur-10 crossing, said the police officer.

The attacks seemed planned as vandalism had been carried out at about 8:00am simultaneously at those places, said the police officer.

A video footage of the incident showed that the auto-rickshaw drivers were beating indiscriminately a traffic constable as he fell on the road and shoving another policeman.

The mob also vandalised motorbikes belonging to the police.

Traffic constable Mizanur Rahman received serious head injury and needed to be hospitalised.

The drivers fled the scene after carrying out the attack.

A few drivers complained of police taking bribe from them for allowing their vehicles to ply on the main roads.

A driver Selim Uddin said that they mainly drove battery-run-rickshaws from night to dawn.

In many cases, traffic police take bribe and let them drive on the main road; if drivers refuse to give them money, the police harass them, Selim alleged.

Pallabi police officer-in-charge Parvez Islam said that a case was filed against 100-150 unidentified battery-run-rickshaw drivers with the police station over vandalism and assault on police.

To file another case the Mirpur police station is underway, he said, adding that none, however, was arrested in this connection by the evening.