Bangladesh student protesters manage traffic, clean streets | Video
In videos posted on social media, several students were seen managing and directing traffic on the streets.
In Bangladesh's Dhaka, students who participated in protests against former Prime Minisrer Sheikh Hasina leading to her ouster have taken to the streets to volunteer and help direct traffic. They stepped in due to what they claim is a shortage of traffic police officers.
In videos posted on social media, several students were seen managing and directing traffic on the streets after police officers went on a week-long strike that ended on Monday.
A volunteer managing traffic near Bangladesh's Parliament building, Bashir told ANI, “Abhi filhaal desh chalane ke liye hum log hi hain...The movement was absolutely right. Elections should be held...Over 50 students are doing the work of managing traffic here. At the moment, the schools and colleges are closed...Police will come soon.”
What started as a protest against the government's quota system soon grew into a larger movement, sparking serious concerns about the safety and stability of government institutions in the capital.
Dozens of volunteers, mostly students, stepped in to manage traffic in Dhaka, BBC reported last week. They took over after police officers went on strike following a popular uprising that brought down the government in Bangladesh.
Students in Dhaka are also cleaning streets and painting graffiti during this time of crisis in the country, Dhaka Tribune reported.
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Last week, police disappeared from the streets of the vast city of 20 million after Hasina resigned and fled, ending her 15-year rule. The police had been widely disliked for leading a deadly crackdown on protests that led to her departure, during which over 450 people, including 42 officers, were killed.
The police had refused to return to work until their safety was assured, but they agreed to resume duties after late-night discussions with the new interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
After stepping down as Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina left for New Delhi on August 5. On Thursday, an interim government led by Yunus was sworn in.
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Home ministry advisor under Bangladesh’s interim government M Sakhawat Hossain, speaking on the student volunteers said, “I request the inspector general of police to issue certificates from the police to the students who are controlling traffic, cleaning streets and alleys, and painting graffiti on walls. These certificates should be valued during job applications.”
The advisor mentioned that students were spending their own money to clean the streets and decorate walls.
He added, “They are doing what the police could not; they do not take any bribes or demand food from shops. These students are our future. They have set an example in our history.”
