Students leave highway in Tongi after three-hour blockade

After a three-hour-long highway blockade protesting the death of madrasa student Yasin Ali, 15, who was killed in a road accident in Tongi, Gazipur, the protesting students finally vacated the road. The prolonged blockade created a severe traffic jam stretching about 15 kilometres on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, causing immense suffering to thousands of passengers.

The protest began at 11:30am on Sunday, August 9, and continued until 3pm. Teachers and students from Tamirul Millat Kamil Madrasa and several nearby educational institutions took part in the programme in the Gazipura Banshpatti area of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.

The protesters said they had been demanding safe road crossing facilities in the area for a long time, but no effective steps had been taken to implement them. On Saturday night, Yasin Ali, a ninth-grade student of the madrasa, lost his life after being hit by a speeding covered van while crossing the road. In protest of this tragic incident, they began the blockade demanding the construction of a modern footbridge, zebra crossings and round-the-clock traffic police deployment on the highway.

Upon receiving news of the road blockade, law enforcement members quickly reached the scene. After three hours of discussions and efforts, the students were assured that their demands would be met, after which they vacated the road. Traffic movement on the highway has now returned to normal, said Tongi East Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mehedi Hasan. He said the students were assured that their demands would be implemented soon, following which they withdrew the blockade.

It may be mentioned that Yasin Ali, a ninth-grade student of Tamirul Millat Kamil Madrasa, died after being hit by a speeding covered van while crossing the highway on Saturday evening. The incident sparked widespread anger among locals and students, leading to the highway blockade programme from Sunday morning.