Shajahan Khan promises punishment of transporters for murder, deaths of students

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan has said those involved in the alleged murder of a North South University student in Munshiganj and deaths of two college students crushed under the wheels of a bus in Dhaka will be punished as per the law.

The driver of a Hanif Paribahan bus and his assistants allegedly pushed NSU student Md Saidur Rahman Payel into a canal in Munshiganj after the passenger was injured on Jul 21. He was found dead last Monday.   

On Sunday afternoon, a bus ran over and killed two students and injured 12 others of Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment College on the Airport Road in Dhaka.

Minister Shajahan being the executive president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation faced questions from reporters over the deaths of the students at an event to mark the signing of a deal to buy mobile harbour crane for Mongla Port at the Secretariat.

“Someone must face punishment for the crime he or she has committed,” he said and urged the journalists to stick to questions on the deal only.

As reporters continued firing questions at him over the deaths of the students, Shajahan said, “They (transport workers responsible for the deaths) will get as much punishment as they deserve. There is no scope to contest it.”

On being asked if he was harbouring the reckless transport workers, the transport workers’ leader shot back, “What do you think will happen if I am not here?” 

He also claimed no question is raised in neighbouring India even though the country of over 1 billion people suffer 16 deaths in road traffic accidents per hour.