A painful accident, a desperate call for action
Authorities must act now so that incidents like the one at DU are not repeated
A tragic accident took place on the Dhaka University campus on Friday when a private car, being driven by a former DU professor, rammed into a motorcycle. The woman sitting on the back of the motorcycle was critically injured and later died in hospital. Reportedly, after the crash, with the woman lodged between the front and rear axles, the driver of the car drove for about a kilometre and a half, ignoring the screams of shocked onlookers, before he was stopped near the Nilkhet area. This event has once again brought to the fore issues of road safety on campuses.
Firstly, the driver has committed a heinous crime. He was not only responsible for the crash in an area where speeding is prohibited, but he also continued to drive after the fact, in a possible attempt to get away with his crime. The same driver used to be an assistant professor at DU, a position from which he was removed because of irregularities. We believe this individual should not be spared and must face the full brunt of the law.
Secondly, the administration and the government must do better in making sure that the DU campus area is safe for all. It is a busy area which hundreds of people frequent daily. To prevent students or regular citizens facing such accidents, we need immediate action from the relevant authorities. Students are already out on the streets and sitting-in in front of the VC's residence in demand of a safer campus. It is time to deliver on that demand.
The speed of vehicles must be regulated on campus streets and those regulations must be strictly enforced. Relatedly, there could be checkposts at various entry points to the campus to make sure outside buses and trucks do not enter the premises and endanger student safety, a longstanding demand of the students. Even if outside vehicles are allowed, there must be strict guidelines in place for them. Finally, authorities must act proactively to make sure that these accidents are not repeated in the future and students and other pedestrians in the DU campus area can commute within the premises without looming threats of motor accidents.