Thousands of students and their supporters gathered in Serbia's northern city of Novi Sad on Sunday to mark the second anniversary of a deadly train station collapse that triggered a nationwide anti-corruption movement and years of student-led protests.
The November 1, 2024 collapse of a concrete canopy at the city's railway station killed 16 people and sparked demands for accountability that gradually developed into a major political movement against corruption and negligence under the government of Aleksandar Vucic.
The student movement eventually led to the stunning defeat of Vucic's ruling right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in last Sunday's parliamentary election.
Thousands marched through Novi Sad in steady rain and silence to pay tribute to the victims. Unlike last year's first-anniversary commemoration, when huge crowds took to the streets, participants said they now felt hopeful that those responsible for the disaster would finally face justice.
Students placed 16 wreaths and 16 red hearts outside the station, one for each victim. The names of the deceased, including children, were inscribed on the tributes. People wept as they laid flowers and lit candles, followed by a moment of silence.
Anti-corruption campaign at heart of student uprising
Many in Serbia believe the concrete canopy collapsed because of defective renovation work resulting from corruption and negligence in major infrastructure projects promoted by Vucic's government.
The station renovation was part of a wider railway reconstruction project involving China and neighbouring Hungary. Vucic and his ally, former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, jointly visited the renovated Novi Sad station in 2022.
Addressing Sunday's gathering, a student said the disaster amounted to murder and demanded accountability and justice, pledging that young people would work to build a fairer society.
"It was a murder and a murder demands accountability and justice," the student said, adding that the victims would not be forgotten.
Following the election victory of the Students' List over Vucic's long-ruling SNS party last Sunday, students have called for reviews of several high-profile investigations, including the probe into the canopy collapse.
Thirteen people, including a former government minister, had previously been charged over the disaster, but the investigation stalled without any trial being held.
Andreas von Beckerath, head of the European Union mission in Serbia, said in a post on X that the canopy collapse had deeply shaken the country and prompted citizens nationwide to demand transparency and accountability.
He said the memory of the victims should continue to inspire a Serbia built on solidarity, public trust and the rule of law.
Meanwhile, prosecutors on Sunday ordered the 48-hour detention of Marko Kricak, Vucic's chief of criminal police, and another senior police officer on suspicion of abuse of office in connection with a murder investigation.
Kricak had been accused of organising violence during student protests and personally threatening a female student with rape. He has denied the allegations.
Since coming to power 14 years ago, Vucic's SNS party gradually established control over all state institutions. The student movement has pledged to restore democracy and the rule of law and eliminate widespread corruption that it says flourished under his government.
Station disaster became symbol of fight for rule of law
The tragedy occurred at 11:52am on November 1, 2024, when a massive concrete canopy attached to the outer facade of the Novi Sad railway station suddenly collapsed, crushing people waiting for trains on a sunny autumn day.
Fourteen people died at the scene, while two others later succumbed to their injuries. A young woman survived but suffered life-changing injuries.
Authorities initially claimed that the canopy had not been included in the renovation work and promised an investigation. However, protests erupted almost immediately, with people across the country blocking roads every day at the exact time of the collapse to demand justice.
Several student-led demonstrations over the past two years became some of the largest anti-government protests in Serbia's history.
Unlike last year, when Vucic was still in power, Sunday's anniversary commemoration was broadcast by state-run RTS television following the resignation of several officials at the broadcaster during the post-election week.
Memorial events were also held in cities and towns across Serbia.
An independent investigation conducted by a group of experts found that the renovation work had been rushed under political pressure. Its report alleged a systematic deterioration of construction standards and concluded that the Serbian state had violated its citizens' right to life.