Road accident sparks mass student protests in Bangladesh

Students aged between 11 and 17 have been out on the roads for the past week protesting the death of 2 teenagers killed in a road accident. The students are demanding that the government of Bangladesh take action on those violating traffic rules and driving in a rash and negligent manner.

A rashly driven bus, in a bid to pick up more passengers, was speeding and mowed down two pedestrians on the roadside last week. This caused spontaneous and unorganised protests across the country. In 2017, over 4,200 pedestrians were killed in road accidents, an increase of 25% from the previous year.

The protests are appearing to come to an end following action taken by law enforcement agencies and the student's wing of the ruling party. Students in Chittagong announced that they would go back to classes this week, while those in Dhaka are still protesting. However, they were chased away by the Bangladesh Chhatra league activists who resorted to violence. Several journalists covering the protests were also targeted by the same group and received injuries.

Source: FirstPost