Students at Science and Research University Protest Against 'Incompetence of Officials'

Hundreds of students from the Islamic Azad University, Science and Research branch, gathered on Saturday, January 8, in response to the overturning of a bus carrying a group of students from this university, which resulted in several deaths and injuries. The IRNA news agency reported that the number of protesting students is still increasing, with the reason for the protest cited as the 'incompetence of university officials in safeguarding students' lives.' The report noted that several families of the students involved in the bus accident were also present. The ISNA news agency described the protest as 'spontaneous' and emphasized that the protesters gathered at the university's bus parking area, holding banners and protesting against the disorganized transportation situation and other issues at the university. However, some Telegram channels reported that this protest was called by the 'Student Basij' of this university branch, with the protesters chanting slogans demanding the resignation of Ali Akbar Velayati, the head of Islamic Azad University. According to IRNA, some protesters described the dismissal of certain university managers as 'merely a way for university officials to evade responsibility,' noting that 'everyone has known about the dangers of this road for years but took no action.' One protesting student told IRNA that the 'resignation of the highest-ranking officials and the head of Science and Research' was the 'least cost' that these individuals should pay, adding that 'they were even unwilling to apologize.' The report states that slogans such as 'Incompetent official, resign, resign' and 'A student dies, but does not accept humiliation' were chanted during the protest. It also adds that students demanded the immediate presence of officials at the protest site and declared they would continue their gathering until a senior official from Islamic Azad University arrived. The Fars news agency also published a report from the protest, featuring a speech by one of the mothers of the deceased students. The mother expressed sorrow that 'she lives in a country where human life has no value.' She further asked officials and state authorities, 'How long must we witness these bitter incidents?' According to Fars news agency, the protesting students read a nine-point statement during their gathering, in which the first point demanded the 'resignation and apology of the head of the Science and Research branch and the president of Islamic Azad University.' Other points specified in the students' statement included 'the permanent establishment of an ambulance at the university, the renewal of the bus fleet, and the construction of barriers to prevent landslides and the installation of guardrails along the route' to Islamic Azad University, Science and Research branch. In the bus overturning incident on Tuesday, January 4, ten people were killed and 28 others were injured. Initially, university officials attributed the bus overturning to the driver's heart attack, which was immediately rejected by Tehran emergency officials, and the confirmation of such a claim was deferred to forensic medical expertise. Subsequently, Masoud Ghadi Pasha, the head of forensic medicine in Tehran province, announced that 'initial forensic investigations found no evidence of the driver having a heart attack,' and did not confirm this claim. Mohammad Reza Mohanddar, the head of Tehran traffic police, also stated on Friday that the cause of the deadly bus overturning was 'the bus's brakes being cut.' According to the traffic police chief, this bus had been classified as a worn-out vehicle since 2012, and at the time of the incident, the driver had controlled the vehicle for about 700 meters after realizing the brakes were not working, but the steep slope of the road caused it to collide with concrete installations. Following this incident, criticism of Ali Akbar Velayati, the chairman of the board of trustees of Islamic Azad University, and other university officials has intensified, leading to the dismissal of five vice presidents and managers of the Science and Research branch. Social media users have also harshly criticized Ali Akbar Velayati by creating hashtags such as 'Velayati resign' and 'controversial old man.' Several members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly have recently reacted to this issue in speeches in the parliament and interviews with the media. The investigation into this incident has been placed on the weekly agenda of the Education and Research Committee of the parliament.