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Published : 23 Feb 2025, 05:29 PM
Students have taken to the streets in the capital demanding justice over an incident of robbery and sexual assault on a “Unique Road Royals” bus travelling from Dhaka to Rajshahi.
One of the demonstrations, which began around 10am on Sunday in the Asad Gate area, saw students from several nearby educational institutions blocking roads and shouting slogans, describing the event as a "rape”.
The disruptions caused significant traffic congestion in the city.
Mohammad Golam Azam, the chief of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, told bdnews24.com: “Around 10:30am, 10 to 15 students from nearby institutions blocked the road and started protesting the recent incident of sexual assault on a bus. They have been calling for justice.”
According to Azam, when commuters objected to the students blocking the roads, the protesters let vehicles pass and resumed their protest in the middle of the thoroughfare while chanting slogans.
“They left the road around 2pm. Traffic is back to normal now.”
Another group of students held a march in Dhaka’s Jhigatola with the same demand.
The procession began around 1pm and made its way to City College before returning to Jhigatola.
Dhanmondi Police Station OC Ali Ahmed Masud told bdnews24.com, “Some students of Abdur Rouf College staged an anti-rape march.”
"They took out a procession from Jhigatola around 1pm to demand justice over the incident of sexual assault and ended the procession around 1:30pm. Traffic is currently normal on the road."
The incident, which occurred on Monday night, involved a bus named Unique Road Royals, which had left Gabtoli for Baraigram in Natore.
After passing through the Hi-Tech City Park area in Gazipur's Kaliakair, robbers, disguised as passengers, seized control of the bus and held the passengers hostage.
During the ordeal, female passengers were sexually assaulted.
The chief of Baraigram Police Station in Natore has been removed from his post for failing to assist the victims, while an assistant sub-inspector from Mirzapur Police Station has been suspended.
Additionally, three suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident. Two of them have reportedly confessed to their involvement in the incident.
