Staff Reporter :
Students blockaded the city’s busy Airport Road and its other approach roads from Banani, Uttara, Khilkhet, Gulshan, Hatijheel, Mohkhali and Tejgaon areas for 2nd day on Monday protesting the killing of two students in a bus accident on Sunday.
Traffic gridlock halted movement of transport from the north city for over five hours following the spill over effect on other city roads causing traffic gridlock and severe incontinences to city dwellers.
Students of Dhaka College, Ideal College and City College also laid siege on the Mirpur Road protesting the killing in mad rush driving causing traffic halt in New Market, Asad Gate and Kallaynpur areas for more than six hours.
The city streets were almost empty of transport fearing attacks and ransacking that caused damage to over hundred vehicles on Sunday.
Students withdrew blockade at around 4:15pm on Monday after getting assurance from the government and law enforcing agencies to fulfill their demands.
But the sufferings of the commuters mount as they were stranded on the city streets till evening.
The students also staged demonstration for the implementation of 9-point demand, including death sentence for the driver and seeking unconditional mercy of AL leader and Shiping Minister Md Shahjahan Khan for his comments on the incident that caused the death of two students.
Since morning, thousands of students took position on the expressway, crippling the north-bound transportation system and blocking even train communications.
Students from Tejgaon Government Science College, BAF Shaheen College, Bhashantek Government College and Kurmitola High School joined the agitation.
Several dozens of buses were vandalized in Shewra and Koratoli areas.
Dhaka Cantonment railway Station, on the exit and entry route of Dhaka, was besieged by thousands of aggrieved students from 2:30pm to 3:30pm, said Yasin Faruk, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Dhaka Railway Police Station,.
He said the halt age of train operations has caused schedule disarray.
Meanwhile, a team of RAB-1 in a drive detained the three drivers and two assistants from Patuakhali, Barishal and Munshiganj districts, the elite force said in an SMS.
The arrested persons are killer driver Masum Billah, 30, from Patukhali, helper Enayet, 38, from Barishal, driver Jubayer, 36, from Patuakhali, driver Shohag, from Munshiganj, and helper Ripan, 32, from Barishal.
In the meantime, a case has been filed with Cantonment Police Station in connection with the death of two college students in a road accident on Airport Road on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Masud Alam, Deputy Director of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), said that the vehicle did not have a rout permit, meaning it did not have the permission to ply on Dhaka’s streets.
BRTA officials, seeking anonymity, said that the other bus [Dhaka Metro Ba-11-7657] had expired fitness certificate, route permit and tax token.
The Shiping Minister’s brother-in-law Nannu and Relative Zakir Hossain, owner of the buses, used to ply the buses on the route violating the BRTA rules by using the minister’s identity, they said,
Jahangir Alam, father of victim Diya Khanam Mim, filed the case against the unidentified driver on Sunday night, Gazi Shahan Haq, Officer-in-Charge of Cantonment Police Station, said.
Earlier on Sunday, Diya Khanam Mim and Abdul Karim Rajib, first year students of Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment College, were killed as a bus ploughed through some students in front of Kurmitola General Hospital on Airport Road in the capital.
