Students of Bajali College block NH 31.
Students of Bajali College block NH 31.

The students of Bajali College blocked the buses on National Highway 31 (NH 31) at the Pathsala Traffic Point in protest against alleged non-lifting and non-dropping of the college’s students in uniform.

A large number of students, both boys and girls, took to the streets in an organized form on Thursday and detected a total of five buses, conductors of which have allegedly been misbehaving with many girl students of the college – who have to travel in the buses as a mode of transportation – since long.

A protesting student said, “We have complaints that some of the contractors of the buses which travel to and from Pathsala town, have been misbehaving with the girls of our college when they are in college uniform since a long time. We can’t let it continue. The girl students must feel safe while travelling in buses.”

The student further alleged, “Many buses also refuse to lift and drop students who are  in college uniform. We want justice and ask the concerned authorities to take proper action in this regard.”

The students handed over the five buses to the police of Pathsala Outpost so that action is taken against the drivers and conductors of those buses for allegedly refusing to lift and drop the college students in uniform.

Later, a team of Bajali Police came to the spot to control the situation and freed the National Highway from blockade.

Rakesh Talukdar, general secretary of the Bajali College Students’ Union said, “The college students in uniform have been denied bus services and hence they have been facing problems of transportation resulting in them being unable to reach the college on time.”

Talukdar further alleged, “The bus drivers and conductors misbehave with the female students and demand high fare from the students which the BPL students are unable to afford.”