CUET students boycott exams, block road demanding justice over death of classmates in road accident

The tragic deaths of two students from Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) in a bus motorcycle collision on the Chattogram-Kaptai road on Monday triggered widespread outrage and protests from the student community.

CUET students on Tuesday (23 April) boycotted classes and exams, and blocked roads as part of their protest to push home their seven-point demand to ensure justice over the death of their classmates in a motorcycle accident with a Shah Amanat Paribahan bus.

From Tuesday morning, students blocked the Chattogram-Kaptai road in front of the CUET campus by barricading it with trees and burning tyres, effectively shutting down traffic on the road and causing significant inconvenience to commuters.

During the protest, students articulated seven demands, vowing to continue their movements until their grievances were addressed.

Their key demands include the swift arrest and punishment of the absconding driver and his accomplice; provision of compensation to the families of the deceased students; coverage of all medical expenses for the injured students by the Shah Amanat Bus authorities; establishment of a modern medical centre with comprehensive facilities on campus; enhancement of ambulance services; cessation of local buses on the Chattogram-Kaptai road; expansion of the road into a four-lane highway; regular verification of documents and drivers' licences for all buses and CNG auto-rickshaws; and ensuring accountability of the Chhatra Kalyan Parishad.

The students announced the suspension of all academic activities at CUET until their demands are met in writing.

In addition to their protest actions, students participated in the funeral of the deceased students at 12 noon and attended a mourning and prayer ceremony at 3 pm on Tuesday.

On Monday (22 April) afternoon, a high-speed Shah Amanat Paribahan bus hit a motorcycle that three CUET students were riding in Jianagar, under Chattogram's Rangunia police station jurisdiction. Two of them, third-year civil engineering student Shanto Saha and second-year student Tawfiq Hossain, died in the accident while another was injured.