Thirteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

In the democratic practices of sovereign states, citizens’ voice get united on common issues and grow to social movements forcing the authority to realise their demands. Such events occur in the event of violations of citizens’ rights or depriving them or any section of the society from their rightful privileges. On 29 July 2018, students in Bangladesh came out and took control of the main thoroughfares and city streets and forced the public and the vehicles to maintain discipline and follow rules after two teenage students were killed by a disparate public bus in a Dhaka street. The rate of road accident and fatality in Bangladesh is very high compared to the rate of global average. The problem of road accident in the country hinders development and destroys thousands of families every year. In the aftermath of killing two high school students, their fellows came out to the street countrywide to protest their friends’ death and demanded strict road safety regulations which they continued for more than a week. University and college students also joined them. At the later stage of the demonstrations, it is alleged that the student front of the ruling party thwarted the movement using violence and intimidation. An internationally acclaimed photographer was arrested after giving an interview to foreign media. In the seriousness of the movement, the government promised a new Road Transport Act, which began on 1 November 2019. This paper considers social movement as the last resort to save people from tyranny.