Dhaka: Train services between Rajshahi and the rest of the country resumed on Tuesday afternoon after a nine-hour suspension, as students of Rajshahi University (RU) withdrew their blockade of the railway track following assurances from railway authorities that action will be taken over the alleged assault on a fellow student by travelling ticket examiners (TTEs).
According to United News of Bangladesh, the students withdrew their blockade around 3:00pm, leading to the resumption of train services. RU Central Students’ Union (RUKSU) General Secretary Salahuddin Ammar stated that the railway authorities accepted all demands raised by protesting students over the alleged assault on a fellow student by TTEs. He also apologised to train passengers for the inconvenience caused due to the blockade.
Earlier in the day, Forkan Uddin, a 2019-20 session student of the RU Department of Law, was assaulted by TTEs in a train as he protested against collecting tolls from passengers without issuing tickets. As soon as the news travelled to the campus, students took to the railway track and blocked it near the university campus around 6:00am in protest against the assault.
All trains scheduled to depart from Rajshahi Railway Station, including the Dhaka-bound Banalata Express and Silk City Express, remained stranded due to the blockade, causing immense suffering for passengers. According to Forkan, he was travelling from Dhaka to Rajshahi on the Padma Express when he noticed TTEs allegedly collecting money from passengers without issuing tickets.
Forkan questioned the TTEs about taking money without providing tickets, citing that railway revenue is state property. “As a conscious citizen, I protested the wrongdoing. Suddenly, 6-7 TTEs grabbed me by the neck, dragged me between two coaches and started beating me on my neck and back,” he said. Forkan also claimed that the TTEs attempted to push him out of the train through a window, but he narrowly escaped. His spectacles were broken during the incident, he said.
The incident sparked outrage among students, who demanded exemplary punishment for the accused TTEs. They had also announced that train services through the rail line adjacent to the university’s Faculty of Fine Arts would remain suspended until their demands were met. Later, they withdrew the blockade following the assurances.