A police officer in Chattogram has raised serious concerns about road safety after his third-grade daughter was badly injured by a speeding battery-powered auto-rickshaw outside their home.
The incident took place at around 1.30pm on Monday on Road No. 3 of the Jalalabad Society area in Khulshi, Chattogram. According to the child’s father, police officer Ansarul Karim, his daughter Nawal Ansari had just returned from school and got out of a taxi near the main gate of their residential building when the auto-rickshaw suddenly struck her.
The impact threw the child onto the road, leaving her with serious injuries to both arms, her head, lips, forehead and face.
Local residents helped take Nawal to a private hospital in the GEC area. She was later transferred to another private hospital for further treatment.
Karim, who works in the North Detective Division of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, described his frustration in a Facebook post published at around 10.30pm on Monday. He questioned how ordinary citizens could be assured of their safety when even a police officer could not protect his own child from a dangerous vehicle operating near his home.
Speaking on Tuesday morning, Karim said the auto-rickshaw was travelling at high speed and was being driven recklessly. He alleged that the vehicle was illegal and unregistered, and questioned whether existing laws were being properly enforced against such vehicles and their drivers.
He also raised concerns about the training and licensing of drivers operating battery-powered auto-rickshaws. According to him, the absence of effective speed controls and reckless driving practices have made these vehicles a growing concern for pedestrians and other road users.
Karim said law enforcement agencies are capable of taking action against serious criminal offences, yet controlling the reckless movement of battery-powered auto-rickshaws remains a persistent challenge. He called for clear decisions on which roads within the city these vehicles should be permitted to use.
He also suggested that vehicles seized during enforcement operations should not simply return to the streets. In his view, stronger and more consistent enforcement is needed to prevent repeated violations.
The latest incident has also renewed concerns about the wider road safety situation in Chattogram. Accidents involving battery-powered auto-rickshaws are not new in the city. People have been injured in collisions involving these vehicles, while some incidents have also resulted in deaths.
Authorities carried out drives against battery-powered auto-rickshaws in different parts of the city last year. Their operation on highways was subsequently prohibited, but the vehicles have continued to operate on roads within the city.
Following enforcement drives, their presence has remained noticeable on smaller roads and residential routes. In the evenings, battery-powered auto-rickshaws can also be seen entering major roads in several parts of Chattogram, including Chakbazar, DC Road and the Bakalia access road.
The continued presence of these vehicles has raised questions about the effectiveness of existing restrictions and enforcement measures. The incident involving Nawal has brought that concern into sharper focus, particularly because it occurred directly outside her home shortly after she returned from school.
For residents, the issue extends beyond one accident. The safe movement of children, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users depends on effective regulation, responsible driving and consistent enforcement. The circumstances surrounding Nawal’s injuries have once again put those responsibilities under scrutiny.
