Road Crash: Road blocked over death of two Cuet students

Cuet students blocked Chattogram-Kaptai road in front of the university yesterday, protesting the death of two students in a road crash on Monday.

The students, who started demonstrating around 10:00am, were on the road until 5:00pm, disrupting traffic.

On Monday afternoon, two students of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology -- Shanto Saha and Taufiq Hossain -- were killed and another injured as a bus and a motorbike collided.

Angry students torched a bus on the road following the incident.

Contacted, Asadul Islam, a fourth-year student of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at Cuet, said the demonstrating students sat for a meeting around 7:00pm yesterday and that the meeting decided to observe a day of mourning for the deceased today.

Asad said, "We have given a 72-hour deadline to the police and administration for arresting the bus driver and his helper. If they do not arrested them within the time, we will take to the streets again."

Meanwhile, representatives of the students, Cuet authorities, police, and administration and bus owner's association held a meeting at Chattogram Circuit House in the afternoon where students placed a nine-point demand.

The demands include establishment of modern medical centre on the Cuet campus, and construction of a four-lane highway from Kaptai Rastar Matha in Chattogram to Kaptai.

The meeting decided to pay compensation to the deceased and injured students, said SM Shafiullah, superintendent of Chattogram police, adding that the district administration would pay Tk 5 lakh to each of two deceased's families and Tk 3 lakh to the family of the injured student.

Besides, the bus owner's association would pay Tk 2 lakh to each of the deceased's family and Tk 1 lakh to the family of injured student, he said.

Abul Bashar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman, deputy commissioner of Chattogram, said top officials assured him of starting the work on a four-lane road within a month.

A seven-member committee, led by additional district magistrate of Chattogram, has been formed to investigate the incident and it has been asked to submit the report within seven working days, said the SP.

Cuet VC Prof Rafiqul Alam said he would take steps so that the demands of the students are met.