Shawdesh Desk:

Dhaka University students on Sunday burnt effigies of the health minister and mayors of the capital  and demanded their resignations for their failure to control the outbreak of dengue that claimed the life of a finance department student.

DU finance departmen’s 29th batch student Firoz Kabir Swadhin, resident of   Jatir Janak Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, died of Dengu at a private hospital in the capital Friday evening.

The students held a protest demonstration by forming  a human chain in front of Raju Memorial Sculpture on the campus under the banner of ‘Muktijuddho Mancha’ at around 11AM.

Later, the protesters burnt the effigies of mayors M Atiqul Islam and Sayeed Khokonm and health minister Zahid Maleque.

They demanded immediate resignation of the health minister and both the mayors for their failure to control the dengue outbreak.

Dhaka South City mayor Sayeed Khokon dismissed the news of dengue outbreak as  ‘rumours’.

On July 25, attending a mosquito eradication awareness programme at Manik Miah Avenue, Khokon brushed aside media reports about dengue outbreak as ‘rumours just like the child lifting rumours.’

Khokon said that the two ‘rumours were interlinked’.

On the same day, health minister Zahid Maleque dismissed the reports of high number of deaths caused  dengue as without any basis.

He also compared the aedes mosquito breeding rate with the high childbirth rate of the Rohingya families.

‘Dengue infections are high because of high breeding of mosquitos. Mosquitos are very productive like the Rohingyas,’ he added.

Meanwhile, students of Jahangirnagar University also staged demonstration on the campus after first year Pharmacy student and resident of Pretilata Hall died of dengue on Saturday, JU Correspondent reported.

U Khein Nu died of dengue in Cox’s Bazar.

Protesting students said that U Khein was infected with dengue virus on the campus and her condition deteriorated after the JU medical centre failed to provide the needed treatment to her.

They also demanded compensations for her  family.

At around at 10.30 AM over 500 students of different departments and institutes dehld the protest demonstration by forming human chain on the Central Shahid Minar premises.

Later, in a silent procession they paraded from the central shahid minar to the vice chancellor’s office where they staged a sit in.

They placed a five-point demand including initiatives to prevent dengue, cleaning up the campus and making dengue treatment available at JU medical centre.