Student beats up driver of president’s son’s car for honking
A Jagannath University student was talking on the mobile phone while crossing the road. The driver of the president’s son was driving along the road at the time and sounded his horn for the student to move out of the way. Infuriated by the honking, the student allegedly beat up the driver.
This incident took place on 26 June in Wari of the capital city. The student who beat the driver up is an active member of Chhatra League at the university. The assaulted driver filed a case with the Wari police station on Monday regarding the incident. The case was filed against the student Kaushik Sarkar and four or five unnamed persons.
In the case, the driver Nazrul Islam identified himself as a driver of the prime minister’s office. He complained that at 7:30 in the evening of 26 June he had dropped the president’s grandson for tuitions and was returning via Tipu Sultan Road in Wari. A youth was crossing the road at the time, talking on the phone. He sounded the horn and the youth lost his temper. He stood in front of the car and misbehaved with the driver, then kicked the back of the car. The driver got out of the car to find out who the youth was and the boy called others over the phone and they beat him up. The driver called out for help and the young men threatened to kill him and then left. The driver later consulted with his colleagues at his workplace and they advised him to file a case with the police.
Students of the university said Kaushik Sarkar is a student of the 2018-19 batch of the music department and an active member of the university unit of the ruling party’s student front, Chhatra League. He is a follower of the general secretary. He would stay at the university’s Syed Nazrul Islam Hall. Top leaders of Chhatra League, however, say he is not a Chhatra League member.
On 7 November 2019, the university administration had suspended him for assaulting some students.
Attempts were made to contact Kaushik about the incident, but he was unavailable.
General secretary of the university unit of Chhatra League, Akhter Hossain told Prothom Alo that the student Kaushik hadn’t been seen at recent programmes of Chhatra League. He had no connection with Chhatra League.
Investigating officer of the incident, Wari police outpost in-charge, sub-inspector Zahir Hossain said, “We are trying to collect CCTV footage. Information is also being gathered to identify the others involved in the incident.”
The university proctor Mustafa Kamal said, “The police informed us that one of our students beat up the driver of the president’s son’s car. A decision will be taken in this regard in consultation with the vice chancellor.”