Barishal University student death: Protests called off after arrest of bus driver
Police said an operation was underway to arrest the other accused
Students of Barishal University have called off their protest after police arrested a bus driver in connection with the death of Maisha Fauzia Mim in a road accident on 30 October.
Narayanganj Travels bus driver Jamil Hossain, 27, was arrested during a raid at Khaserhat village in Patuakhali district around 11pm yesterday, Barishal Metropolitan Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam told a press conference in Barishal today (2 November).
BU Assistant Registrar KM Sanwar Parvez Liton had filed the case against Jamil and an unidentified bus helper.
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Police said an operation was underway to arrest the other accused.
Students of BU called off their protest stating that the university administration has shown sincerity in implementing their demands.
On 30 October around 8:45pm, BU student Maisha died after a Barisal-bound Narayanganj Travels bus ran over her at the Bholar Mor area on the Barisal-Patuakhali highway.
The next day, Maisha's classmates blocked the highway for several hours to press home a 10-point demand to the vice-chancellor of the university.
Their demands included arrest and punishment of the perpetrators of the incident, providing compensation to Maisha's family, building a footbridge in front of the university, putting speed limit on the road in front of the university gate, developing the hospital system of the university, repairing roads, deploying traffic police and increasing ambulance services.
In the face of the students' demands, authorities have agreed to pay Tk20 lakh compensation to the family of the deceased. Narayanganj Travels will give compensation of Tk10 lakh, university administration Tk5 lakh and the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority Tk5 lakh.
According to the Roads and Highways Department, speed breakers have already been constructed at the Bholar mor area on the Barisal-Patuakhali highway. Besides, the work of setting up a footover bridge and a traffic box is also in progress.
