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| Bangladeshi students shout slogans as they block a road during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Five days of protests by tens of thousands of students angry over the traffic deaths of two of their colleagues have largely cut off the capital Dhaka from the rest of Bangladesh, as the demonstrators pressed their demand for safer roads. (AP Photo/A. M. Ahad) |
By JULHAS ALAM, AP
DHAKA, Bangladesh
Police in Bangladesh’s capital fired tear gas and used batons on Saturday to disperse hundreds of protesting students angry over the traffic deaths of two fellow students, leaving many people injured.
[post_ads]Dhaka remained largely cut off from the rest of Bangladesh as buses continued to stop plying from other parts of the country. The owners and workers of the bus companies have said they will not run their vehicles unless they feel safe after dozens of vehicles were either vandalized or torched in Dhaka and elsewhere.
Witnesses and media reports said Saturday’s chaos broke out in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area as police and ruling party men swooped in on the students. A top leader of the ruling Awami League said some “criminals” wearing school uniforms joined the violence. Many protesters blamed the student wing of the ruling party for the attacks.
TV stations aired footage of the clashes, with protesters seen throwing stones at police as the chaos continued for hours.
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Bangladeshi students shout slogans and block a road during
a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Five days of
protests by tens of thousands of students angry over the traffic deaths
of two of their colleagues have largely cut off the capital Dhaka from
the rest of Bangladesh, as the demonstrators pressed their demand for
safer roads. (AP Photo/A. M. Ahad)
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An Associated Press journalist at the scene said many people, including some journalists, were injured in the clashes. The English-language Daily Star reported that up to 25 people were injured.
Thousands of other students took to the streets elsewhere in Dhaka on Saturday, but no major violence was reported.
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The protests, which began last Sunday after two college students were struck and killed by a pair of buses, have paralyzed Dhaka, a city of 10 million. The two buses were racing to collect passengers, a common occurrence in the city, which is regularly gridlocked by traffic chaos.
The protests are an embarrassment for the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ahead of a general election due in December. Hasina’s party is blaming the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and its main ally Jamaat-e-Islami, for using the sentiment of young students to create chaos for political gains.
Thousands of other students took to the streets elsewhere in Dhaka on Saturday, but no major violence was reported.
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The protests, which began last Sunday after two college students were struck and killed by a pair of buses, have paralyzed Dhaka, a city of 10 million. The two buses were racing to collect passengers, a common occurrence in the city, which is regularly gridlocked by traffic chaos.
The protests are an embarrassment for the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ahead of a general election due in December. Hasina’s party is blaming the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and its main ally Jamaat-e-Islami, for using the sentiment of young students to create chaos for political gains.
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Bangladeshi students participate in a protest in Dhaka,
Bangladesh, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Five days of protests by tens of
thousands of students angry over the traffic deaths of two of their
colleagues have largely cut off the capital Dhaka from the rest of
Bangladesh, as the demonstrators pressed their demand for safer roads.
(AP Photo/A. M. Ahad)
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Zia’s party formally extended its support to the protesters. Hasina also said their demands are justified and pledged to fulfill them in phases.
The protesters are demanding safer roads in Bangladesh, where corruption is rife, making it easy for unlicensed drivers and unregistered vehicles to ply the roads. At least 12,000 people die each year in road accidents often blamed on faulty vehicles, reckless driving and lax traffic enforcement.
The students have stopped thousands of vehicles — including those of top officials and judges — demanding to see if the cars were registered and the drivers licensed.
Buses are key to transportation in Bangladesh, where trains are overcrowded and most people cannot afford cars.
The protesters are demanding safer roads in Bangladesh, where corruption is rife, making it easy for unlicensed drivers and unregistered vehicles to ply the roads. At least 12,000 people die each year in road accidents often blamed on faulty vehicles, reckless driving and lax traffic enforcement.
The students have stopped thousands of vehicles — including those of top officials and judges — demanding to see if the cars were registered and the drivers licensed.
Buses are key to transportation in Bangladesh, where trains are overcrowded and most people cannot afford cars.
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Bangladeshi students shout slogans and block a road during
a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Five days of
protests by tens of thousands of students angry over the traffic deaths
of two of their colleagues have largely cut off the capital Dhaka from
the rest of Bangladesh, as the demonstrators pressed their demand for
safer roads. (AP Photo/A. M. Ahad)
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Bangladeshi students shout slogans and block a road during
a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Five days of
protests by tens of thousands of students angry over the traffic deaths
of two of their colleagues have largely cut off the capital Dhaka from
the rest of Bangladesh, as the demonstrators pressed their demand for
safer roads. (AP Photo/A. M. Ahad)
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Bangladeshi students stop a car to check its license as
they block a road during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Aug.
4, 2018. Five days of protests by tens of thousands of students angry
over the traffic deaths of two of their colleagues have largely cut off
the capital Dhaka from the rest of Bangladesh, as the demonstrators
pressed their demand for safer roads. (AP Photo/A. M. Ahad)
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Bangladeshi students block a road during a protest, as
their guardians stand nearby holding umbrellas, in Dhaka, Bangladesh,
Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Five days of protests by tens of thousands of
students angry over the traffic deaths of two of their colleagues have
largely cut off the capital Dhaka from the rest of Bangladesh, as the
demonstrators pressed their demand for safer roads. (AP Photo/A. M.
Ahad)
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Bangladeshi students shout slogans and block a road during
a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Five days of
protests by tens of thousands of students angry over the traffic deaths
of two of their colleagues have largely cut off the capital Dhaka from
the rest of Bangladesh, as the demonstrators pressed their demand for
safer roads. (AP Photo/A. M. Ahad)
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Bangladeshi students shout slogans and march on a road
during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Five days
of protests by tens of thousands of students angry over the traffic
deaths of two of their colleagues have largely cut off the capital Dhaka
from the rest of Bangladesh, as the demonstrators pressed their demand
for safer roads. (AP Photo/A. M. Ahad)
|
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Bangladeshi students shout slogans during a protest in
Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Five days of protests by tens
of thousands of students angry over the traffic deaths of two of their
colleagues have largely cut off the capital Dhaka from the rest of
Bangladesh, as the demonstrators pressed their demand for safer roads.
(AP Photo/A. M. Ahad)
|
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Bangladeshi students participate in a protest in Dhaka,
Bangladesh, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Five days of protests by tens of
thousands of students angry over the traffic deaths of two of their
colleagues have largely cut off the capital Dhaka from the rest of
Bangladesh, as the demonstrators pressed their demand for safer roads.
(AP Photo/A. M. Ahad)
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