SAHIWAL: About 200 students of various public colleges of Sahiwal staged a protest demonstration and demanded cancellation of the two private bus company routes in the city.

The protesting students were demanding justice for a commerce college student, Kashif, 20, who was run over and killed by a bus on the Sahiwal-Arifwala road on Saturday.

The demonstration, led by the local chapter of the Islami Jamiat Talaba, moved from the College Chowk totheDCofEce.

The angry students also attacked a bus of the private company near Azadi Chowk, which killed the student.

They alleged the same company bus had 1(illed two studentson the Madhali-Faisalabad road because of which its route inside the city was cancelled by the then deputy commissioner Babar Bashir.

The company buses were rerouted and were not allowed to move from the College Chowk and Azan Height Chowl( for the safety of students.

The company owners moved the Lahore High Court, Multan Bench, against the DC orders.

It is said the high court had directed the owners to consult the transport secretary to decide the matter.

RTA secretary Wasif Yasin told Dawn seven months back the then transport secretary Wajihullah Kundi had allowed the company to use the city route via College Chowk for Arifwala and Faisalabad destinations.

He said entry of the companybuses to the city had been banned temporarily and a final decision on it would be made by DC Awais Malik on Tuesday (today).

In the Saturday incident, some college students were waiting for a bus on Arifwala Road. As the bus arrived, they waved it to stop. The bus slowed down but did not stop.

The students were getting on the moving bus when one of them, Kashif, of Chak 106/9-L, Sahiwal, slipped and fell down.

He was run over by the bus and died on the spot.

The other students captured the bus driver and attacked the vehicle with sticks, stones and rocks.

Ghala Mandi police rescued the bus driver from the students, took him into custody and impounded the bus.