Guwahati: Cotton University Students demand closure of Lakshminath Bezbaruah Road

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Students of Cotton University staged a protest on Thursday demanding the closure of Lakshminath Bezbaruah Road, citing frequent accidents and growing safety concerns in the area.

The demonstration was held along the university hostel road, where students expressed alarm over the rising number of mishaps caused by speeding vehicles on the stretch. They demanded that the road be converted into a pedestrian-only zone to ensure the safety of hostel residents and pedestrians.

Cotton University Students’ Union General Secretary Kritimoy Kashyap said repeated appeals had been made to the Public Works Department and traffic authorities over the years, but no concrete action had followed. He noted that multiple complaints had been submitted seeking restriction of vehicular movement.

Referring to recent incidents, he stated that a person had lost their life in an accident on the road and a student had also sustained injuries, adding that such occurrences had become frequent and posed serious risks.

Students alleged that despite the protest being peaceful, police detained several participants and took them to a police station before releasing them later.

As an interim measure, authorities had deployed security personnel and restricted entry to vehicles belonging to students, faculty and staff. However, the students termed the arrangement inadequate and reiterated their demand for a permanent solution prioritising pedestrian safety over vehicular access.

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