Police break up student protest for safe road
The young protesters were stormed by police in riot gear as they marched towards the main gate of the Secretariat
Police on Wednesday obstructed a hunger strike by students demanding massive reforms in public road transportation aiming at making the roads safer for commuters.
School and college students were stormed by police in riot gear when the protesters marched from the Jatiya Press Club towards the main gate of the Secretariat demanding the implementation of a nine-point demand. The protesters were forced to move back to the press club area.
Later, the students, carrying banners and placards, were dispersed by security forces when the group of young protesters made another attempt to march towards the Secretariat. Police also snatched the banners from them.
"Police prevented us from carrying on a hunger strike, as per our prior announcement, in front of the Secretariat. They did not let us stand anywhere, citing there is a VVIP movement," Enjamul Haque Ramim, one of the protesters, told The Business Standard.
The government raised bus fares by over 25% last month in response to strikes by bus owners following a rise in fuel prices.
Later, school and college students launched a nationwide protest demanding half-fares on public transports.
The protests gained traction with the added demand for road safety following the death of a Notre Dame College student on 24 November when a Dhaka South City Corporation garbage truck ran him over.
