Police have arrested the owner of the Suprobhat bus that crushed under its wheels a student of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BU) last month sparking protests for justice and safety on road.
‘Gopal’, the owner of the bus operated by Suprobhat Private Limited, was arrested in Dhaka on Thursday morning, Abdul Baten, a deputy commissioner at Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch, said late on Thursday night.
Gopal has been named a suspect along with the bus driver Sirajul Islam, conductor ‘Yasin’, and Sirajul’s helper ‘Ibrahim’ in a case over the death of BUP student Abrar Ahmed Chowdhury.
Abrar’s father Arif Ahmed Chowdhury started the case at Gulshan Police Station on the day of the incident on March 19.
Police arrested driver Sirajul on the same day and conductor Yasin and helper Ibrahim on March 27, according to a bdnews24 report.
Police said conductor Yasin was driving the bus at the time as they were fleeing on orders from Gopal after driver Sirajul was arrested following another hit-and-run.
Sirajul had a licence to drive lighter vehicles, not bus or truck, while Yasin had no licence at all, according to police.
Abrar, 20, a first-year student of international relations department, was waiting for a BUP bus on a zebra crossing near Jamuna Future Park and Bashundhara Gate at Nadda when the bus ran over and killed him.
BUP students took to the streets and shouted demands for punishment of the bus driver. Students from different institutions in the area also joined the protests demanding safe roads.
The protests spread across the city, grinding traffic to a halt at many busy streets and thoroughfares.
The government later pledged to meet the students’ demands, including maximum penalty for the bus driver, revocation of Suprobhat’s licence to operate, a government order requiring drivers to display their photograph and licence inside the bus, installation of a footbridge at the Bashundhara Gate, and CCTV cameras to monitor traffic officers.
Abrar, the elder of the two brothers, lived with his family in Block D of Bashundhara Residential Area. His father Arif is a former army officer.
Abrar enrolled at BUP in 2018 after completing the A Level.
Earlier on Thursday, Dhaka North Mayor Atiqul Islam sat with the protesters, including BUP students.
He sought time to ensure safety and security of people on the streets, saying there are “too many problems” in the road transport and infrastructure.