Traffic cop sues JnU students over assault

An attempt to murder case was filed against 30 to 40 anonymous students of Jagannath University (JnU) and three bus drivers yesterday over beating up a traffic sergeant for stopping three university buses travelling on the wrong side in the capital.

In the case filed with Ramna Police Station, Traffic Sergeant Kawsar Hamid also accused the students of obstructing him from discharging duties and assaulting him after "unlawful confinement".

In the case statement, he said drivers of three BRTC double-decker buses carrying JnU students towards Farmgate drove through the wrong side on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue at Bangla Motor intersection around 5:00pm on Monday.

"As I asked the drivers to take the right lane, 30 to 40 unknown students got down from the buses and were locked into an altercation with me. When I barred the drivers from driving through the wrong side, I was threatened with life by the students,” Kawsar alleged. He said when he again requested the drivers to take the right lane, the students started punching him and also tore his uniform.

Kawsar added that as he shouted for help, nearby traffic policemen rushed to the spot, rescued him and sent him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he took primary treatment.

OC Mashiure Rahman of Ramna Police Station said they were trying to identify the accused from TV footage and photographs published in newspapers.

Contacted, JnU Proctor Noor Muhammad said a 10-member team, including him, of the university held a meeting with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner yesterday to discuss the issue. The JnU VC instructed them to identify the students involved in the incident, he said.