Protests for safer road: Students leave streets after assurance from police
A student named Sifat was run over in the Farmgate area two days ago
Students left the roads in Dhaka's Farmgate area after a couple of hours of blockade demanding justice and road safety reforms after one of their fellow classmates, Sifat, was killed two days ago when a truck ran him over near the area.
The protest began around 11am from Government Science College Road and extended to the Farmgate intersection, paralysing traffic movement in one of the capital's busiest roads.
Ibne Mizan, Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told journalists that the students had blocked the road for nearly two hours.
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"We requested them to leave the road. They demanded a fair trial and the abolition of any illegal parking on roads," he added.
Carrying placards and chanting slogans, the students under the banner of "United Students Alliance, Farmgate" have placed five key demands before the authorities:
- Justice for Sifat's killing and a public apology from the administration for labeling the protesting students as "terrorists."
- Eviction of illegal structures — all unauthoriwed shops, makeshift stalls, and encroachments must be removed from footpaths permanently.
- Strict enforcement of parking laws — declare and enforce "No Parking Zones" along key roads.
- Vehicle restrictions — ban entry of autorickshaws, trucks, and heavy vehicles on the road from the railway crossing to the church to prevent accidents and congestion.
- Road safety infrastructure improvements — installation of at least three speed breakers, adequate streetlights, lane dividers, and traffic islands near educational institutions.
Police have been deployed to the area to maintain order and negotiate with the protesting students.
