Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
Thousands of students Wednesday blocked major intersections and streets in city and some six districts on the fourth consecutive day demanding the safe roads across the country.
The suffering of commuters, including city dwellers, have reached at the peak as plying of transports virtually went off, disrupting traffic movement in and around the capital.
Following the demonstration in different points, vehicular movement also came to a halt on Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhak-Mymensingh, and Dhaka-Tangail highways, witnesses said.
People were seen waiting on the roads for long for public transports. Office-goers and school students, particularly women and girls, suffered the most to reach their destinations in time.
Also commuters, mainly low income people, were facing serious troubles in reaching their destinations as public transports went off the streets apprehending agitations by students.
The protest spilled up in the city’s Shahbagh area where students of Dhaka Unviersity, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Dhaka Medical College Hospital and general public joined the protests and expressed their solidarity with their demands. The protester also burned Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan effigy calling for his resignation.
Vowing to stay on the streets till their nine-point demand is met, the students
from around 20 colleges, including Sheikh Borhanuddin College, Dhaka College, Ideal College, and Commerce College, took position at Shahbagh intersection demanding capital punishment of the driver and helpers of the killer bus.
The demonstrators were shouting as “We Want Justice” and “Safety Road”.
They also burned an effigy of Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan at Shahbagh and call for his resignation echoed most of speakers during the protest at Shahbagh. Also, Jahangirnagar University (JU) students held in a human chain near their campus demanding safe roads and punishment of drivers responsible for the deaths.
The protesters have blocked Farmgate, Science Laboratory, New Market, Green Road-Panthapath, Mohakhali, Gulshan, Motijheel, Shahbagh, Mirpur, Kakrail, and Science Lab on Banasree, Rampura, Matuail, Jatrabari, Babu Bazar Bridge, Bhatara, Khilkhet, Kabi Nazrul Government College road, Tongi, House Building road in Uttara, and Mirpur Road .
In Farmgate, the agitating students from several colleges including Govt Science College took position besides the intersection-2.
In Jatrabari, the Dhonia College unit of Chhatra League assaulted second-year student Golam Rabbi for taking part in the protest. He was hit with an iron pipe and Rabbi received first aid at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
In Uttara, students of several educational institutions, including Uttara University and BGMEA University blocked the Dhaka-Abdullahpur-Gazipur Road.
At Shanir Akhra, protesters have vandalised nearly 30 vehicles and there was hardly any bus driving through Jatrabari flyover.
Also a pick-up van ran over a student when a group of them tried to stop the vehicle at Shonir Akhra area in the morning.
Assistant Commissioner (AC) of Jatrabari zone Iftekharul Islam said the student has been taken to a hospital in critical condition, but the name of the hospital was not disclosed.
“Traffic was very thin,” said Md Nasir, in-charge of Jatrabari Mayor Hanif Flyover’s Kutubakhali Toll Plaza.
Meanwhile, BRAC University students occupied the street in front of the varsity, blocking vehicular movement between Gulshan-1 and Mohakhali.
Students from Mohammadpur schools and colleges, and Greenlife Medical College also demonstrated on the Mirpur Road’s Asad Gate area.
They checked licences of bus and human hauler drivers carrying placards demanding justice for Diya and Rajib.
In Mirpur, several vehicles were also vandalized. Bhasantek Government High School’s 10th grader Nafis Ahmed Ovi was injured when a car hit him.
Students of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Siddeshwari Girls’ School and College and Habibullah Bahar College took to the streets at Shantinagar intersection at noon.
It Bangla Motor, protesting students stopped Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed’s car, on Sonargaon road.
At Dhanmondi, students who took to the streets demanding safe roads have started policing delinquent drivers.
A police vehicle was stopped in front of Harun Eye Hospital and its driver failed to show his licence.
In Narayanganj, transport owners stopped operating busses from Signboard areas fearing vandalism, causing sufferings to commuters.
A group of transport workers suddenly attacked several teenagers in Siddhirganj’s Mouchak area around 11:30am . Later, they turned four teenagers over to police.
In Gazipur, Students of EH Arif College put up barricades at Konabari on Dhaka-Tangail highway at 10:00am, halting vehicular movement, reports Gazipur district correspondent.
Students of different schools and colleges took position and staged demonstrations in Tongi College Gate area on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway demanding safety on roads.
In Chattogram, students blocked the road near Kazirdewri area demanding punishment of those responsible for the death of the two students.
In Sylhet, students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) formed a human chain protesting death of the two students. Students formed a human chain in front of its Central Library on the campus.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has urged protesting students to go back to their classrooms and pledged to take “all necessary steps” to discipline transporters.
His call came after a meeting with the transport owners and representatives of and workers at the secretariat on Wednesday.
DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia has urged the law enforcers not to use force against students and gave instruction to the law enforcers to handle the students by speaking to them about public sufferings.
The commissioner also asked police to remain careful.
