Md Hemel, a car driver of a ridesharing company in Bangladesh, was on his way after dropping off a passenger in Mirpur area on Tuesday, the day before the freshly called 48-hour blockade by BNP.
While on his way, his daughter urgently called him over the phone, saying: “I saw a bus set ablaze on the television. Come home now.”
The palpable fear and urgency in his daughter's voice were heart-wrenching. However, Hemel, despite the emotional plea from his daughter, had to fulfil his professional duties and continue driving amid the chaos on the roads.
Hemel shared how his family prioritized his safety over his income.
However, riders like him are bound to go out on the streets with fear in their chest, only to be able to bring food to their family’s table.
In an exceptional situation, an Uber driver, while taking a passenger from Mirpur DOHS to Mirpur-15, said that he would avoid driving on days of blockade to keep himself safe.
Yet, this is a luxury very few people can afford, particularly those whose needs are made with daily income.
As a result, while in the beginning days of the hartal, less transport was visible on the street, these days traffic movement is like that of normal days since most people are not able to always stay at home.
Streets have turned into a battleground as one vehicle after another is targeted by arson and vandalism.
More than eight arson attacks were reported every day on average between October 28 and Monday across the country, according to the Fire Service and Civil Defence.
"A total of 197 arson attacks were reported across the country during this period, leaving five people injured,” Talha Bin Jashim, station officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence's media cell, told UNB.
Of these, Dhaka's Mirpur witnessed the highest number of 19 arson attacks during this period.
According to the fire service, out of 197 arson attacks across the country, 132 attacks were reported in Dhaka division, including in Dhaka city, 22 in Chittagong, 24 in Rajshahi, seven in Barisal, seven in Rangpur, two in Khulna, two in Mymensingh division, and one in Sylhet division.
A total of 118 buses, 26 trucks, 13 covered vans, eight motorcycles, two private cars, three microbus, three pickup vans, three CNG-run auto-rickshaws, some carriages of two trains, one human haulier, three Lagunas, one fire service water truck, one police van, five BNP offices, one Awami League office, one police box, one councillor office, two electricity offices, one bus counter, and two shops were set ablaze during this time, according to fire service.
Statistics reveal that the highest, 29 in all, number of arson attacks were carried out on October 28.
