http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/04/11/d4041101055.htm

Man pushed out of bus to death
Students burn 3 vehicles, block road
Staff Correspondent

A young man was pushed out of a running bus to his death on Begum Rokeya Sarani in Dhaka yesterday, prompting students of the nearby Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University to set fire to three buses, damage six and barricade the busy thoroughfare for two hours.

The victim, Akram Hossain, 22, hailed from Mymensingh. Son of late Altab Ali, Akram did his honours in accounting and came to the capital to look for a job a few days ago.

Witnesses said Akram boarded the Mirpur-bound bus from Farm Gate at around 1:30pm on his way back to the agricultural university, where he was staying with a friend at a hall.

Reba Begum, who was a passenger of the bus, said Akram wanted to get down near the university but the driver refused to stop. He then requested the helper of the bus to let him get down but the helper pushed him out of the running bus.

"We saw the young man falling from the running bus and he was crushed under its rear wheels," said Reba.

As passengers started to scream, the driver stopped the bus and fled along with the helper.

Within minutes, several hundred students from the university came out on the street and went on the rampage, chasing drivers and helpers of three buses, setting fire to the vehicles and damaging six more. Riot police and a team from Tejgaon Police Station rushed to the spot but the agitated students refused to lift the barricade.

"We have had the same problem of buses refusing to stop at this important intersection for long. We want a speed breaker and a bus stoppage here," one of them told police. The others also expressed similar views.

The students however left the spot after two hours.

Prof Fazal Karim of the university said several fatal accidents took place at the same spot as buses did not stop and conductors pushed passengers out.

"There are about 2,000 students at the university. We appeal to the authorities to set up a bus stoppage near it," he said.

Tejgaon police seized the bus and sent the victim's body to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for autopsy. Unless there is a specific allegation, they would treat the matter as an accident, police said.

 

http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidDate=2004-04-11&hidType=LOC&hidRecord=0000000000000000005853

Death of student sparks angry protest

Sunday April 11 2004 09:39:24 AM BDT

Students of Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University went on rampage and damaged scores of motor-vehicles in the city’s Sher-e-Banglanagar area on Saturday following the death of a college student under the wheels of a running passenger mini-bus.

Enraged by the death of Akram Hossain (22), a second year student of Accountant Department of Ananda Mohan University College in Mymensingh, students of the Agriculture University and its nearby people also torched a motor vehicle and put up barricade on Mirpur-Farmgate route, disrupting movement of all modes of vehicle for about two hours.

They also engaged in a clash with policemen. The police chased the militant students charging batons while the students hurled brickbats and stones on them. Students of the university alleged that the police in riot gear stormed the campus and beat up them indiscriminately, leaving several of them injured.

Recently, another man was also crushed under the wheels of a passenger mini-bus just in front of the Agriculture University .

Despite repeated calls, the authority did not take any steps, including making speed-breakers, to avoid accident, students added.

Witnesses said the ill-fated college student was crushed under the wheels of a Mirpur-bound running mini-bus, bearing number Dhaka metro-Ja-04- 0296, in front of Planning Commission at Sher-e-Banglanagar at about 2:00 pm.

Witnesses alleged the tragic incident occurred due to negligence of the bus driver who dropped him in front of the office in a running condition.

Akram Ali, son of late Altaf Ali of Mehergaon village under Fultala Thana in Mymensingh district, came to Dhaka to visit one of his friends'' house.

As the news of the student’s death spread, a large number of students of the university and local people became angry and started damaging and torching motor vehicles passing there, they said.

Police seized the killer bus, but its driver managed to escape. A case was filed with Tejgaon police in this connection.

Soon after the incident, a large number of police were deployed in and around the campus to thwart any further untoward incidents.

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