Students from several educational institutions in Savar blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway on Sunday, demanding justice for their classmate, who killed in a bus accident on the highway.
The protest tempted after a bus from 'Thikana Transport' ran over Pratyay Sarker, 20, a first-year diploma nursing student, on Saturday. The demonastration, which blocked both lanes of the highway for nearly two hours, caused severe traffic congestion, affecting long-distance bus travelers who were caught in the sudden blockade.
Earlier on Sunday, the students held a human chain before blocking the road. During the protest, students seized 30 buses belonging to the transport company and called for exemplary punishment for the bus driver and his accomplices. They also announced a boycott of classes and exams in solidarity with their late colleague. The protestors also emphasized that if justice was not swiftly delivered to the perpetrators, they would escalate their actions.
Pratyay Sarker, was son of Jonatan Sarker from Gangni upazila in Meherpur. The father works as a ward boy at Centre for Rehabilitation of Paralysed (CRP), the same instituion where Pratyay studied.
Savar Model Police Station officer-in-charge Juwel Mia told that police responded quickly to the protest. After assuring the students that the responsible bus driver would be swiftly brought to justice, the blockade was lifted and traffic resumed normal flow.
