Police file two cases against 800 students

*Students continue agitation placing 11-pt demands

Police have filed two cases against 800 students for the vandalism and torching of buses during protests over the death of student Md Mainuddin in a bus accident in Dhaka’s Rampura.

The cases, filed at the Rampura and Hatirjheel police stations, hold ‘agitated students’ responsible for the damage.

SI Maruf Hossain filed the Rampura case on Tuesday night, accusing 400 to 500 suspects, said MD Rafiqul Islam, chief of Rampura police, according to bdnews24.com.

“An agitated crowd set fire to buses and vandalised them following the death of a student,” he said. “All of the suspects are unnamed. The case accuses them of banding together for targeted rioting, vandalism, arson, and harm in an illegal manner.”

The Rampura case noted that seven buses were torched.

No one has been arrested so far, said Abdul Ahad, deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Motijheel Division.

SI AKM Neaz Molla filed a case under the Explosive Substances Act at Hatirjheel Police Station over the incident. The case accuses 250 to 300 suspects.

“Agitated students assembled, armed themselves with makeshift weapons, vandalised and set fire to vehicles on the road, and attacked pedestrians,” the case dossier says.

Meanwhile, Students continued their agitation for nine-point demand, including road safety, continued on Wednesday in Dhaka and Chattogram.

Students from different educational institutions, including Dhaka Imperial College, Khilgaon Model College and Ekramunnesa Boys’ High School, held different programmes in Rampura area in Dhaka since 11:00am.

They brought out a procession in the area to press home their demands.

Besides they, also checked the vehicles which were passing through the area and forced the police to record cases against the ones without proper documents.

The agitating students announced that they would form a human chain in Rampura Bridge area on Thursday.

Their activities created huge traffic congestion in Rampura and adjacent areas causing huge sufferings to the citizens.

Our Chattogram correspondent reports that students of different schools, colleges and universities in Chattogram formed human chain for half fare on public transports in Chattogram and safety for women and students on public transports.

Several hundred students gathered at Chattogram Press Club on Wednesday morning and formed a human chain.

Later, they organised a rally in Cheragi Pahar area at about 12:00pm.

At the rally, the students said that they wanted half fare for the students in Chattogram also.

The students also urged the government to fulfil the nine-point demands, that included ensuring justice for all, alongside students, killed in road accidents through a speedy trial and compensation, issuing a gazette notification to provide half-passes for students on public transports in across the country, ensuring safety for women on public transports, constructing footpaths and foot over bridges, legalisation of all drivers through training, creation of modern, active traffic system and ensuring accountability of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority through surveillance.

The students rally later turned into a procession that paraded different roads in Chattogram.

Additional police forces were deployed at Jamalkhan and Cheragi Pahar area following the student's protest, said Mohammad Nezam Uddin, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station.

Students began the ongoing movement on November 24 after a Dhaka South City Corporation dustcart killed Notre Dame College student Nayeem in the Gulistan area.

The protests took a new turn on November 25 when the students renewed their nine-point demand made during the 2018 road safety movement.