Road Crash
Mayhem over DU student’s death
Protesters smash vehicles, set fire to police box
A Dhaka University student was killed in a road crash in the capital’s Shahbagh yesterday, sparking violent protests from fellow students that left at least 60 vehicles damaged.
The dead, Towhid Zaman, was a second-year student at international relations department, and hailed from Karimganj upazila of Kishoreganj.
He was hit by a bus of Rajdhani Paribahan when he and another DU student were crossing the Shahbagh intersection around 4:30pm, witnesses said.
The other student, Faisal Mahmud of history department, escaped with minor injuries.
Towhid was first rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later shifted to Green Life Hospital at Panthapath where he died around 6:30pm.
His body was sent to his village home for burial without autopsy, said DU Proctor MA Ali.
Police arrested Anwar Hossain, driver of the bus, at the spot.
As the death news spread, several hundred DU students of different dormitories took to the streets and went on the rampage on various city roads for about three hours since 8:00pm.
They set fire to a bus and vandalised dozens of vehicles at Shahbagh, Hotel Ruposhi Bangla intersection, Banglamotor, Kataban, Elephant Road, Bata Signal, Nilkhet, New Market, Palashi and Chankharpul areas, causing immense sufferings to commuters.
The agitating students also set fire to a police box at Shahbagh intersection.
Panicked, commuters ran to and fro for shelter.
Traffic on both sides of the roads stood still till 11:00pm. The jam spilled over also to Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Farmgate, Mohakhali, Asad Gate and Mirpur Road.
No police personnel were seen till 11:30pm to calm the demonstrating students. The law enforcers appeared on the scene only after the students had left the streets.
A correspondent of The Daily Star found the main entrance to the Shahbagh Police Station locked from the inside and its lights turned off around 10:00pm. The picture was the same at the Shahbagh Police Control Room.
During the rampage, a Dhaka University student, Sayed Bari, was shot in the leg at Elephant Road around 9:30pm. He was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
As of filing this report at 2:30am today, it was unclear who shot him.
Another DU student, Shamima Sultana, was slightly injured as a private car hit her at Shahbagh around 9:30pm.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
