M Humayun Kabir: The protest enforced by the students of schools and colleges over the deaths of two fellows in a road accident earlier this week in Dhaka has rocked the country.
Students across Bangladesh took to the streets for the 5th consecutive day yesterday, demanding realization of their 9-point demand, reports The Daily Star.
As student protests intensified, the government shut schools, colleges and other educational institutions for Thursday for security reasons.
Apart from Dhaka, the agitating students staged protests in Savar, Narayanganj, Tangail, Natore, Bogra and Rajshahi. Many guardians were seen supporting their children.
Commuters in different parts of the city faced serious troubles in reaching their destinations yesterday as transport owners have taken buses off the roads due to ongoing students’ movement.
Owners also suspended long-haul bus services on different routes.
Mymensingh bus owners have stopped services to Dhaka, citing security reasons, said Bikash Sarker, a spokesman for the District Motorised Transport Owners’ Association.Besides, the Dhaka-bound bus services from Sylhet were also suspended yesterday due to the ongoing students’ demonstrations.The bus services, however, were restricted to Brahmanbaria and Habiganj since the morning.The agitating school and college students were seen checking registration certificate and driving licenses of drivers for cars. For motorcycles, they were educating riders on helmet safety and safe driving.
They were also forcing the vehicles to drive in lanes.
In Savar, thousands blockaded Signboard area on Dhaka-Aricha highway around 12noon, creating long traffic jam on the busy highway.In Tangail, a blockade was enforced in Sadar upazila around 11:30am which continued for an hour – curbing traffic completely on Dhaka-Tangail highway, said Tangail Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saidur Rahman.In Chittagong city, traffic movement was suspended at different areas due to student blockade. Some hundreds were demonstrating on a four-kilometre stretch area starting from Agrabad to all the way up to Gate no.2.In Narayanganj, hundreds of students gathered near Chashara Shaheed Minar at city around 10am and blocked the intersection – halting all traffic and checking their licenses.At one point, students halted the car of Kamrul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sonargaon Police Station. Later, the students let the police official’s car go on request.On the other hand, around 500 students blocked the Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Sylhet highways at Signboard area of Narayanganj’s Siddhirganj.In Rajshahi, around 60 students of Rajshahi University formed a human chain at 12noon at the central library demanding safety on roads. They are expressing solidarity with the protestors at Dhaka.