Rajshahi University students and local people Wednesday evening blocked the Rajshahi-Dhaka highway for two hours in protest at power supply disruption after an electric transformer exploded, causing serious damage to electric devices.
Local sources said Rajshahi Power Development Board staff were repairing an inactive electric transformer at Binodpur near the university campus at around 6:00pm.
At one stage the transformer exploded, causing a fire in the Binodpur market area and damaging electric devices likes computers, laptops, television, refrigerators and mobiles.
Several hundred students, along with locals, residing at Binodpur rushed to the university main gate and blocked the Rajshahi-Dhaka highway for tow hours.
The students vandalised some shops near the university gate, burned tyres and damaged some electric meters and transformers in the area.
During the agitation, more than three hundred vehicles remained stranded on both sides the blockade spot.
Informed, polices force from the university post, Kazla post and Motihar police station reached the spot and asked the agitators to withdraw the blockade.
But the students continued their agitation, demanding compensation from the authorities.
The students withdrew the programme at around 9:00pm after high officials of the Rajshahi Power Development Borad and the Rajshahi University protorial body assured them of addressing their demand.
Komrash Saha, a student of law and justice at Rajshahi University, told New Age that his computer and mobile phone worth Tk 50,000 were damaged because of the faulty transformer.
Mizanur Rahman Rana, director of Leads Varsity Coaching at Binodpur Bazar, told New Age that his two computers, three mobile phones had been damaged.
Professor Choudury Zakaria, proctor of Rajshhai University, told New Age that they were preparing a list of the victim students and they would sit with the power authorities to receive compensation for the students.
Zulfiker Matin, electric engineer of Rajshahi Power Development Board, told New Age that they were also making a least of victims with the help of the local councillor.
Source : New Age
