Second day of Azad University students protesting against the "incompetence" of officials in the bus overturning incident
The protest rally by students of the Science and Research Branch of Azad University, protesting what they called the "incompetence" of Azad University officials, continued for the second day on Sunday, January 29.
Images published on social media show that students of the Azad University, Science and Research Branch, gathered for the second consecutive day on Sunday, January 29, to protest the overturning incident of the university's student bus.
The protesting students began their rally at the university entrance, chanting the slogan "Students die, they will not be humiliated," and called on other students to join them. The protesters demanded that Azad University officials be held accountable for the recent bus overturning incident.
Borna News Agency initially reported on a video allegedly showing the car carrying the president of Azad University being run over, injuring two students in the legs, and announced that Tehranchi had resorted to force to clear his way, but hours later, it denied the news report and announced that such a claim was untrue.
However, students protested against the presence of Iran's Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, who had joined the protesters, as Tehranchi's car passed through the students. Some published images also indicate the presence of an ambulance at the university.
Other images have also been released showing Tehranchi's presence among the students responding to their protests.
But the Attorney General of Iran announced to the students that the head of the judiciary had immediately ordered them to follow up on the incident. In his latest comments, Mostafa Kawakbian, a member of parliament, also called for a meeting to be held to investigate the student bus overturning incident on Sunday.
He said: "Just as you held a meeting for a representative and investigated the incident, hold a meeting here as well, especially since they say that a group of "counter-revolutionaries" cut the brakes on the bus."
Hundreds of students of the Islamic Azad University, Tehran's Science and Research Branch, also gathered at the university on Saturday morning, January 29, demanding the prosecution of those responsible for the incident, including Ali Akbar Velayati, the chairman of the Azad University's board of trustees.
In a statement signed by the students, the students announced their demands: the resignation and apology of the head of the science and research department and the president of Azad University, an official apology on the official platform by the head of the department and the president of the university, permanent deployment of an emergency service on the university premises, renovation of the bus fleet, determination of the speed limit, and installation of technical inspection sheets on the buses. They said that they would continue their protest until a high-ranking official from Azad University arrived.
The mother of Niloufar Radmehr, one of the victims of this incident, also attended today's protest rally and demanded accountability from the authorities. She also asked the students not to leave her alone on this path and said, "How come when a bus in Karbala overturns, they give them the title of "martyr," but they call our children "Futi." They are martyrs of the path of knowledge. Her words were welcomed by the students, who chanted the slogan "We will stop, we will stop, we will take back your rights."
One of the protesting students also told the Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA, that the resignation of the highest-ranking official and university official and the head of science and research is the minimum price these people must pay; they did not even accept an apology.
The overturning of a bus carrying students from the Science and Research Branch of Islamic Azad University on Tuesday, January 24, initially killed 8 people and injured 28 others, but the death toll later rose to 10.
Four days have passed since the incident, and according to reports, 15 of the injured are still in the hospital, and three of them are reported to be in critical condition.
After the accident, an official at the Azad University told Fars News Agency that the cause of the accident was the driver's "stroke." However, Judge Shahriari, deputy prosecutor of Tehran and head of the criminal prosecution, said that no signs of a heart attack or stroke were detected in the autopsy of the bus driver.
On the other hand, Navab Hosseinimanesh, the CEO of the Tehran Vehicle Inspection Headquarters, told Fars News Agency that the bus had not had a “technical inspection” and had been “out of service” six years ago. He added that the Tehran governor had previously issued a circular stating that “vehicles without technical inspections by the authorities are not allowed to circulate,” but this car was still being used.
Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi said last night that "two individuals, including the transportation contractor and the facility manager" of the university have been arrested and two university officials have been summoned to the prosecutor's office. The special committee following up on the bus accident at the Science and Research Branch of Azad University has announced the dismissal of five university administrators.
Source: Voice of America
