During the road safety protests last year, police arrested 22 students from different areas of capital Dhaka. But ten months after investigation, the officers cannot find any offences committed by the students.
The students in question stayed in jail for 12 days and so far, had to appear before court on nine occasions. They say the cases are impeding their education.
Guardians and students’ lawyers claim that the cases are aimed to harass and are politically motivated; therefore, the students should be given reprieve from them.
On Jul 29, 2018, one of two buses engaged in a race to pick up passengers on the airport road, lost control and hit two students who died on the spot. To protest reckless driving, students all over the country came out on the roads. The movement by the school students was given support by the university students on Aug 4.
On that day clashes broke out between students and police when false rumours of student deaths were spread.
As the agitation spread, the police arrested 22 students from all over the city.
After 12 days in prison, they were released on bail before Eid.
One accused student Iktidar Hossain of the South-East University, said: “We have to miss class exams to attend the court hearings; this is obstructing our education.”
We are being harassed and don’t know when this will stop, he added.
Regarding the case against students, sub inspector of Badda Police Station, Julhas Mia and Bhatara thana sub-inspector, Hassan Masud, said: “the investigation is on and report will be submitted after completion.”
Joint commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (crime), Sheikh Nazmul Alam, says: “We have always been lenient on the issue of the students; we do not want any innocent person to be embroiled in a legal case; the cases will be settled soon.”
Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, who is fighting for the students, said: “The main objective of the cases was to harass the students and nothing more; their demand for safe roads was rational and that’s why the submission of charge-sheet is seeing a delay.”
The students should be relieved from the cases, the lawyer opined.