Highway mayhem over a rumour

TRIGGERED by a rumour that two female students of a local school in Tongi were run over to death by a pick-up van, a frenzied mob of students and locals damaged scores of vehicles, set ablaze the pick-up van and barricaded Dhaka-Mymensingh highway. All this caused immense suffering to travelers and commuters for hours on Tuesday.
Fortunately, the two female students were not dead, but received injuries and were undergoing treatment in different hospitals in the city.
The incident was most unfortunate. Who did the rowdy elements, including students, think they were serving by breaking vehicles and holding unsuspecting travelers hostage to their mindless act? It cannot be the way to redress any grievance or establishing justice.
Whilst reckless driving cannot be condoned, what the wild mob did on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Tongi was a serious crime punishable under law. They must realise it. At the same time, police should have an auto-reactive mechanism to deter such mayhem on a short notice.