Student protests turn violent in Bangladesh

A tragic traffic accident that occured more than a week ago has brought Bangladesh's capital city of Dhaka to a standstill.

Teenagers in school uniforms took the streets to protest over the dangerous conditions on Dhaka's roads after two students were killed and several injured by a privately-owned bus that ran over a group of students.

The driver of the bus has since been arrested, reported news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.

On Monday, students at several university campuses in Bangladesh clashed with police officers as protests entered into the ninth day.

The demonstrations took a violent turn last week with police officials beating protesters with batons and using water cannons and tear gas to disperse crowds.

A professor at a university spoke to the New York Times about being barricaded with students inside a classroom on Monday afternoon, and a student described seeking refuge inside a classroom after being attacked by police officials with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Asaduzzaman Khan, Bangladesh’s minister for home affairs, however, denied using violence to quell dissent.

“We have repeatedly accepted the demands of the school and college students for better road safety conditions, and we have asked them to go back to their homes as we have started to implement their demands,” he told the New York Times.

The United Nations has expressed its concern over the crackdown.

"We are deeply concerned about the reports of violence and call on all for calm. The concerns expressed by youth about road safety are legitimate and a solution is needed for a mega city like Dhaka. A functioning public transport system should ensure the safety of all, including children, young girls and women," the UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh, Mia Seppo, said in a statement posted on Twitter.