Transport workers beat up students triggering protest
Vehicles vandalised, road blocked in Pabna
Students of Pabna Edward College vandalised five vehicles and blocked Dhaka-Pabna highway after transport workers beat up students of the college at Chatmohar bus stand in the district yesterday morning.
The students demanded punishment of the culprits while transport workers and owners association suspended vehicular movement in Chatmohar, Bhangura and Faridpur upazilas under the district.
Unruly transport workers attacked a Pabna-bound college bus carrying the students when its driver stopped at Chatmohar bus stand for a while at about 9:00am.
As the students protested, the transport workers beat up the students with iron rods and sticks, injuring at least 10 of them, said Md Ataur Rahman, an honours first year student, also a passenger of the college bus.
"Later the police rushed to the spot and rescued the students. With serious injuries, students Imdadul Haque, Manik and Farid took treatment at Chatmohar upazila health complex. Imdadul filed a case against the attacker transport workers," said Md Habul Islam, officer in-charge of Chatmohar police station.
The agitated students ransacked five public buses on Pabna-Chatmohar highway at Rail Bazar in Chatmohar upazila and Debottar Bazar in Atghoria upazila under the district from 10:00am to 12:00am.
As the news of attack on the students reached Pabna Edward College, several hundred students blocked Dhaka-Pabna highway at Singa Bypass intersection in Pabna town at noon. At a demonstration rally on the highway, they warned of tougher agitation programmes if the culprit transport workers are not punished.
Later the teachers of the college, student leaders and police persuaded the students to withdraw the road blockade at about 2:30pm.
Meanwhile the college administration and the district transport workers association held a meeting on the premises of Pabna Edward College but it ended inconclusively.
Our Dinajpur Correspondent reported that students of Birganj Degree College blocked Panchagarh-Dinajpur highway demanding a speed breaker in front of the college after a college student was critically wounded in a road accident in Birganj upazila under Dinajpur district yesterday morning.
About two hours later, the students agreed to withdraw their blockade upon assurance of setting up a speed breaker there, police said.
Md Abu Tayeb, 18, a second year business management student of Birganj Degree College, got down from a bus in front of the college but a Thakurgaon-bound passenger bus hit him when he was crossing the road, police said. He was rushed to Birganj Health Complex in a critical condition.
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