Teargas used on students

– Bangladesh police yesterday began cracking down on dangerous driving as the government tried to quell student unrest sparked by the death of two teenagers mowed down by a bus a week ago.

Tens of thousands of students have protested since last Sunday, when a privately run bus hit and killed the students, alarming the government ahead of a general election this year .

Several thousand students took to the streets for an eighth straight day yesterday. Police fired teargas at protesting students to disperse them from different points of the city.

“Our police force has started a week-long drive to bring discipline on the roads,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said at an event in Dhaka yesterday.

Spontaneous student protests are rare in Bangladesh, and Hasina suggested her political rivals were using the issue to stir up anti-government sentiment. The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party denied any involvement in the protests.

Yesterday, students blocked roads and disrupted traffic, although they maintained emergency lanes for ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan warned action would be taken against them if their protests become too disruptive.

“Everything has an optimum point, and if anyone crosses the limit action will be taken ... so don’t cross the limit,” he said.

The US embassy said outgoing envoy Marcia Bernicat’s vehicle was attacked by armed men, some on motorcycles, in Dhaka on Saturday.

“The ambassador and her security team departed the area unharmed ,” it said. –