Police and private university students, who joined a movement demanding safer roads, lock in a clash in Dhaka's Aftabnagar area on Monday; August 9, 2018 Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune

Students of several private universities had clashed with police while demonstrating against attacks on students

Several Dhaka courts on Sunday granted bail to 40 private university students, who were accused in a number cases filed over vandalism and attacks on police during the recent movement demanding safe roads.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Saifuzzaman Hiru and a number of Metropolitan Magistrates, including AKM Moinuddin Siddique and Md Sarafuzzaman Ansari, passed the orders in the afternoon after hearing their separate bail petitions.

The cases against them were filed at Badda, Bhatara, Dhanmondi, Uttara West, Ramna, New Market and Kotwali and Paltan police stations.

Mashad Mortuza Bin Ahad, Shakhawat Hossain Nizum, Shihab Shariar, Ajijul Karim Antar, Mehedi Hasan, Fayez Ahamed Adnan, Nur Mohammad, Jahidul Islam, Iftekhar Ahamed, Md Hasan, Redwan Ahamed, Tarikul Islam, AHM Khaled Reza, Reza Rifat Akhlaq, Rasedul Islam, Musfiqur Rahman, Md Shimanta, Iftakhar Hossain, Shohad Khan, Mashriful Alam, Tamal Samad, Mahmudur Rahman, Mahabubur Rahman Naim, Omar Siam, Iqbal Hasan, Naimur Rahman and Minhazul Islam are among the 40 who secured bail.

Others include, Armanul Islam, Shairul Islam, Daiyan Hossain, Saiful Islam Wadud, Nur Alam, Azizur Rahman, Amin Hossain, Mahbub khan Rabin, Tofayel Ahmed, Ashiqur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Jahidul Islam and Md Dulal.

Students of several private universities had clashed with police, earlier this month, while protesting against the attacks on school and college students in Dhaka during the latter’s movement for safe roads.

Many students were arrested in separate cases filed with different police stations later. They were denied bail several times.

The countrywide student movement for road safety began when two college students were killed by a speeding bus on the capital’s Airport Road on July 29.

Outraged students of different educational institutions had continued their protests for a week, which was mostly peaceful.

However, violence marred the demonstrations on August 4 and 5 in Dhanmondi area when police and alleged activists of ruling party affiliate organizations got involved and clashed with the students, while swirling rumours, claims, and counter-claims on social media added fuel.

Protesting the attacks on the children, students of different public and private universities had then taken to streets, and subsequently either came under attack by unidentified men or clashed with police in the city’s Dhanmondi, Rampura and Bashundhara areas.