A group of students formed a human chain at Dhaka’s Science Lab intersection marking the first anniversary of the attack on students and journalists by a group of helmet-wearing miscreants during the countrywide movement for safe roads.
Students from Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment College, Dhanmondi Government Boys' High School, Southeast University, North South University, Government Laboratory High School and took part in the human chain programe on Sunday.
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On the first week of August 2018, several students and some newsmen were injured when a group of helmet-wearing miscreants snooped on them at different places of Jhigatola and Dhanmondi.
The attack took place in presence of police at Jhigatola.
A student holding a placard Dhaka Tribune
On July 29, 2018, protests erupted across the country when two students of Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment College were crushed under the wheels of a Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan bus on Dhaka's Airport Road’s MES area.
School students took to the streets chanting slogans such as: ‘We want justice’, 'Chhatrer upor hamla keno, proshason jobab chai’, ‘Nirapod sorok chai, ar kono dabi nai’, ‘Amar bhai kobore, khuni keno bahire’ etc.
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“They attacked students and journalists in broad daylight," said Tuhin Farabi, coordinator of the Safe Road Movement and a student of Chartered University College.
"Despite having pictures and all details, they are yet to be brought to justice. They were not arrested, not even interrogated,” he added.
“We were harassed in various ways by filing case against us or falsely associating us with a political student body (Islami Chhatra Shibir),” he said.
A polytechnic institute student, seeking anonymity, told Dhaka Tribune that nine cases were filed under Paltan, Tejgaon, Ramna and Dhanmondi police station against him as he was in the frontline of the safe road movement.
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“I was in jail for about 10 months. Two cases were filed under ICT act and seven cases for breaking property," he said.
“These cases are to harass us. How can a person go to different places during a movement as the cases are filed under four different police stations?" he questioned.
"I have to appear before the court for these cases four to five times a month,” he further said.
The students demanded punishment of the attackers and to withdraw cases against the students.