Cops block roads to DU, commuters suffer

After Tuesday night's violence around the campus over a student's death in a road mishap, police closed off roads in the Dhaka University area yesterday, compelling people to walk in the heat. The photo was taken near Shahbagh. Photo: Palash Khan

Police closed down all major roads leading to Dhaka University area yesterday to avert further violence by DU students, who vandalised over 60 vehicles on Tuesday night over the death of a fellow student in a road accident.
The seven-hour restriction on vehicular movement was imposed around 6:00am without prior notice, causing huge tailbacks on the capital's major thoroughfares.
Thousands, including office-goers and students, suffered on the road as traffic congestion spilled over to Kathalbagan, Banglamotor, Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Farmgate, Dhanmondi, Mirpur Road, Banani, Mohakhali and even Kuril Biswa Road.
Police put barricades at Matsya Bhaban, Ruposhi Bangla intersection, Shahbagh, Nilkhet, Katabon and Elephant Road, said Syed Nurul Islam, deputy commissioner of Ramna Zone.
"Safety of the people is above all things, however the sufferings," he said, adding that the law enforcers took the measure to avoid recurrence of Tuesday night's violence.
As the law enforcers did not give any direction for traffic movement, thousands of commuters heading for Motijheel, Paltan and other adjoining areas remained stuck for hours.
Vehicular movement resumed after the restriction was lifted around 1:00pm.
It all began with the death of DU student Towhid Zaman of international relations department. 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.
As the death of the 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 about 60 vehicles at Shahbagh, Hotel Ruposhi Bangla intersection, Banglamotor, Katabon, Elephant Road, Bata Signal, Nilkhet, New Market, Palashi and Chankharpul areas, causing immense sufferings to commuters.
The agitating students also burned down a police box at Shahbagh intersection.
They continued their demonstration on the campus and also at Shahbagh intersection yesterday. They brought out a procession from the campus with a dummy coffin around 11:30am, demanding exemplary punishment of the bus driver, who was arrested after the accident.
The students also submitted a memorandum to DU Vice-chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, demanding adequate compensation to the victim's family, and constructing footbridges at every entry point and an underpass at Shahbagh intersection.
However, plagued by the traffic chaos, city dwellers said they neither wanted to see the loss of lives in road accidents nor vandalism in the name of protest.
"Can this be a system? Can vandalism or violence be the means to solve a problem?" asked a frustrated Nasim Reza, who had to walk to his office at Banglamotor from Motijheel.
"The bus I was on was stuck for hours. It was a complete mess."
Such a means of protest is ultimately a loss of public property. "We should think about it."
Having waited for a bus for half and hour in vain, private university student Nishat Tasnim took a rickshaw from Lalmatia area around 10:00am. She had a semester final exam to take at 12:00noon. After having changed two rickshaws and walking some distance when she reached her university at Dainik Bangla, it was 1:00pm. The exam was over by then.