Students block Farmgate in protest over peer’s death

Students of Tejgaon College blocked the Farmgate intersection in the capital on Thursday (11 December) to protest the death of one of their classmates. They also set fire on the road during the demonstration.

The blockade began around 10:00 am, causing severe traffic congestion in the area.

Anish Kirtyaniya, Assistant Commissioner of Police of the DMP’s Tejgaon Traffic Zone, confirmed the incident.

He said, “Students of Tejgaon College blocked the Farmgate intersection around 10:30 am, leading to heavy traffic congestion in the surrounding areas. We are trying to manage the situation by diverting vehicles.”

According to the protesting students, on 6 December a clash broke out between two groups of Chhatra Dal inside the Tejgaon College dormitory over drug consumption, leaving three students injured. Among them, Sakibul Hasan Rana, a student of the Higher Secondary Science Department, had been in the ICU for four days. He died around 12:30 pm on Wednesday (10 December).

They further alleged, “We believe our meritorious classmate, Sakibul Hasan Rana, was killed as a result of political violence, and now efforts are being made to cover it up. We were even denied permission to hold his funeral prayer on the college campus.”

Earlier, on the night of 6 December, a clash took place between a group of Tejgaon College students and a group of local outsiders. Rana sustained a serious head injury during the incident and was later admitted to Prashanti Hospital. He was a second-year student of the Higher Secondary Science Department and died on Wednesday afternoon while undergoing treatment.

However, family sources said his body was taken to his village home in Sreepur, Gazipur, without a post-mortem examination.