Zagreb, 2 November 2025 (Hina/MIA) - Dijana Hrka, the mother of a young man killed in last year’s collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad, began a hunger strike on Sunday demanding government accountability for the accident that left 16 people dead.

Hrka announced the strike on Saturday before tens of thousands of people marking the anniversary of the collapse at the newly renovated station, which had twice been opened by state and local officials. The incident sparked a wave of anti-government protests accusing authorities of corruption and shoddy construction work.

On Instagram, Hrka described her protest as a criticism of President Aleksandar Vučić’s regime, "which has hidden the truth about the killing of my son Stefan and 15 others for a year,” adding: “I will stay silent no longer.”

She demanded that Vučić call elections and release students “unlawfully detained” during months of anti-government protests, urging citizens who “believe in truth and justice” to support her. A group of students from Novi Sad began walking to Belgrade on Sunday in solidarity with her.

Wearing a white T-shirt reading “Mom Against the Machine,” Hrka attempted to reach the Serbian parliament, where supporters of Vučić have set up camp, but police blocked her approach. She began her strike nearby.

No one has yet been convicted over the collapse. Former construction ministers Goran Vesić and Tomislav Momirović, and former Railways Infrastructure director Jelena Tanasković, have been indicted.