Aggrieved students of International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC) blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram highway and adjacent railway tracks in Sitakunda, Chattogram, on Tuesday following the death of a fellow student in a road accident.
The protesters blocked the highway, causing severe traffic congestion, and placed tree trunks across the railway tracks, disrupting train services.
The blockade followed an accident in which Maysha Musferat, 21, an IIUC student, was killed and two others injured after an overturned bus struck by a lorry crushed them on Tuesday morning.
Maysha was crossing the road in front of the university when the accident occurred. She was taken to hospital in critical condition but later succumbed to her injuries, according to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and Sitakunda Police Station.
Another IIUC English Department student, Razia Sultana, was injured and is receiving treatment at Chattagram Metropolitan Hashpatal. An unidentified outsider was also injured.
The protesters placed five demands before the authorities: the arrest and legal action against the lorry’s driver and owner within 24 hours, an end to alleged illegal parking by KDS Depot along the highway, and the construction of foot overbridges on both sides of the university gate.
They also demanded financial compensation for Maysha’s family from the lorry owner and stronger security measures around the campus to ensure students’ safety while crossing the highway.
Students said the lack of pedestrian safety facilities and alleged road encroachment by KDS Depot had made crossing the highway increasingly dangerous.
The highway and railway blockade was continuing at the time of filing this report.
