Road safety protests resume in Rampura

Student protesters, who had launched a movement in December for safer roads, have returned to the streets of Dhaka’s Rampura on Friday.

News Desk

Student protesters, who had launched a movement in December for safer roads, have returned to the streets of Dhaka’s Rampura after the death of a Rajshahi University student in a road accident on Feb 2.

A group of students began demonstrating in the Rampura Bridge area on Friday to press for their demands, painting the phrase ‘We want safe roads’ on the road.

They will also hold a sit-in programme beneath the foot overbridge in Badda on Feb 11to drive home their demands, said protest leader Shohagi Samia, a student of Khilgaon Model College.

The protesters carried placards urging people and the authorities to meet their demands that include a concession on public transport fares, measures against irregularities and corruption on the streets in order to stop deaths by road accidents.

However, the movement of vehicles was not affected by the protests.

“Transport authorities are not giving students any concession on fares as educational institutions are closed now. But students are travelling outside to attend private classes and various reasons. Why aren't they being allowed to pay the half fare then?” asked Samia.

On Tuesday, a truck carrying stones for a under-construction building at Shaheed Habibur Rahman Hall struck a motorcycle being ridden by three students.

Mahmud Habib Himel, a final year student of the Fine Arts Faculty and general secretary of the Rajshahi University Drama Association, was killed on the spot. Raihan Rimel, another student in the same year, was injured in the incident.

Hundreds of agitated students gathered at the scene of the accident and set fire to five trucks involved in the construction work. They also vandalised the building construction site, setting fire to two rooms.

Earlier in November, students launched a demonstration in Dhaka to demand a half-price discount on buses after the government hiked bus fares by 27 percent under pressure from transport owners over an increase in fuel prices.

The movement intensified on Nov 24 when a Notre Dame College student was killed in a road accident involving a city corporation vehicle.