Bangladesh: Student protests rock Dhaka; more than 100 injured after police use tear gas, batons to disperse protesters
Police in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, fired tear gas and used batons on Saturday to disperse hundreds of protesting students angry over the traffic deaths of two fellow students.
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Police in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, fired tear gas and used batons on Saturday to disperse hundreds of protesting students angry over the traffic deaths of two fellow students, leaving more than 100 people injured. Facebook/Md Abusufian Jewel
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The protests, which began last Sunday after two college students were struck and killed by a pair of buses, have paralysed Dhaka, a city of 10 million. The two buses were racing to collect passengers, a common occurrence in the city, which is regularly gridlocked by traffic chaos. Facebook/Md Abusufian Jewel
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On Saturday, the protests took a violent turn in Dhaka’s Jigatala locality. Witnesses said police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators and that alleged pro-government activists attacked youngsters, including some of those rushing to nearby hospitals for treatment. Facebook/Md Abusufian Jewel
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The police, however, denied that they had fired rubber bullets or tear gas at the protesters. Dhaka Police spokesperson Masudur Rahman said it was not true and that nothing happened at Jigatola. Facebook/Md Abusufian Jewel
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Adding to citizens’ anger, a bus hit and killed a biker on Friday morning in Dhaka’s Moghbazar area, after which a mob set the vehicle on fire. Facebook/Md Abusufian Jewel
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Earlier on Saturday, thousands of students in school uniforms defied rain to block major intersections in the capital for the seventh consecutive day. Teens as young as 13 were seen on Dhaka’s notoriously clogged roadways, checking whether cars and buses had valid licenses. Facebook/Md Abusufian Jewel
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The protesters have been demanding safer roads in Bangladesh, where corruption is rife, making it easy for unlicensed drivers and unregistered vehicles to ply on the roads. At least 12,000 people die in the country every year in road accidents that are often blamed on faulty vehicles, reckless driving and lax traffic enforcement. Facebook/Md Abusufian Jewel
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