September 30, 2007	Sunday	Ramazan 17, 1428

UPPER DIR, Sept 29: Hundreds of school and college students took to the streets on Saturday in protest against a traffic accident in which a primary student was crushed to death and two others were injured.

Angry students reduced the vehicle involved to ashes and blocked the Dir-Peshawar road for several hours, despite assurances from the district nazim and the district police officer to bring the culprit to book.

A young student — Jawad, son of Muhammad Said — was on his way to school with his classmates when a speeding pickup hit them near a veterinary hospital at about 7.20am. Jawad was killed on the spot while Fawad, son of Khaista Bahadar, and Shehzad, son of Lal Bahadar, were injured seriously.

According to eyewitnesses, the three students ran for cover just before the accident but the driver failed to control his vehicle and hit the innocent school-goers.

The injured were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital Upper Dir where their condition was stated to be stable.

The incident triggered a harsh reaction from the people, particularly school and college students who blocked the main road for four hours.

Long queues of vehicles could be seen on either side of the students’ blockade that caused innumerable problems to commuters, especially patients.

The students took out a protest rally from the veterinary hospital to the offices of the district coordination officer. Shopkeepers pulled down their shutters in fear as the angry mob raised slogans against the police and district administration.

When contacted at 3.45pm, an official of the Dir police station surprisingly said no first information report had been registered about the accident.

The district administration, however, said they had decided to build five speed-breakers and deploy traffic police at three points along the main road so that accidents could be avoided in future.