Students of different colleges in Dhaka gave the authorities concerned a 24-hour ultimatum to arrest the bus staff who reportedly threatened to rape a female student.

Several hundred college students, including those of Begum Badrunnesa Government Girls College took to the streets at 10 am to press home their various demands, including the arrest of the bus helper, and put barricades at Bakshaibazar crossing, halting traffic.

They alleged that when a 2nd year student of Badrunnesa College wanted to pay half bus fare on Saturday, an assistant of a driver of a bus of ‘Thikana Paribahan’ threatened to rape her.

Also read: College students vandalise buses demanding half bus fare

The Badrunnesa College students took position at Bakshaibazar crossing with placards, halting traffic on the adjacent roads.

Later, students from other colleges expressed solidarity with them and joined the demonstration.

Tasnum Tabassum, a protester, said, “We’ll wait for 24 hours and will go on a movement again if the authorities concerned failed to arrest the bus helper within the deadline.”

Their other demands include ending the harassment of students in buses, stopover of all buses in front of colleges, allocating seats for women passengers, security and safety of female passengers on buses.

Also read: Dhaka College students demand half-fare bus ride in the city

Qudrat-e-Khuda, additional deputy commissioner of Lalbagh zone, said they will sit with the bus owners and college authorities and look into the allegation brought by the students.

“We’ll check the allegation with the help of technology,” he said.

However, the traffic movement returned to normalcy around 2 PM as the students withdrew their blockades following the assurance made by the police.