Train rides get risky

Placing logs on the line and pelting the locomotive with brick chunks, opposition activists try to stop a train from leaving Dinajpur town yesterday morning. Photo: Star

Train passengers across the country have been put to great trouble as the railway has become the prime target for arson attacks by opposition activists in the recent blockades.
“Though I love travelling by train, last night [Sunday night] I couldn't relax even for a second as anything could happen at any time,” said Sajib Biswas about his trip to Dhaka from Kushtia by Sundarban Express.
Talking to The Daily Star at Kamalapur Railway Station, Sajib, 30, a trainee sales officer at Akiz Cement, said he needed to reach his workplace in Tangail by yesterday to be confirmed as a permanent staff.
Since the first spell of blockade started on November 26, opposition activists have been on the rampage against railway properties in at least 16 districts across the country. They removed fishplates in many places, causing derailment of at least six trains, torched the coaches of three trains and vandalised many coaches, leaving over 100 injured, according to statistics of this newspaper.

A notice screen at Kamalapur Railway Station states the delay in the departure of a train heading for Dinajpur is “abnormal”. Photo: Star

Railways Minister Mujibul Haque on Wednesday said the railway since February 28 had suffered a loss of about Tk30 crore from the attacks on it by opposition men.
At Kamalapur station yesterday, Jahurul Islam of Sirajganj was dejected when he learnt that the schedule of his train had been suspended. He came to Dhaka on Sunday by train for business-related work.
“God only knows when the situation will become normal and peace will return to the country,” he said.
Asked whether he feared travelling by train, Jahurul replied, “The whole country is in such a situation now that no one can guarantee anyone's safety. While coming to Dhaka, I didn't dare sit by the window of the coach for fear of violence.”
Private company employee Shariful Islam left Dhaka by train on Sunday night for his workplace in Noakhali.
He got stuck in Bhairab due to the derailment of a train in Comilla and had to return to Dhaka yesterday.
“Travelling amid such uncertainty is quite risky, but I need to go there at any cost,” Shariful said at the Tongi junction.
Failing to hire an ambulance, Abdul Aziz along with his cancer patient relative Sadeque Ahmed went to Kamalapur station hoping that they would reach Sylhet by train.
“It's very risky to travel by train now, but it's more important for me to take the patient home,” he mentioned.
Pointing the finger at both the BNP and Awami League for causing such sufferings to common people, Aziz said, “They'll [political parties] go to power in their own interest. Then why should the common people have to suffer?”
“People come out of their homes to do necessary work, but they [political parties] are burning people and creating panic,” he complained.
Things were even worse for couple Abdul Matin and Salma as they have been stranded in Dhaka since Saturday, the first day of the 18-party opposition alliance's blockade.
Matin said they had come to Dhaka on Friday to visit his cancer patient sister at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
“Our daughter and son, aged 19 and 9, are alone back home,” he said, adding that they had stayed back in Dhaka for the last two days as they wanted to avoid any probable risk from blockaders' attacks on the road.
Construction worker Shahjalal Mia came to Kamalapur to go to Tangail to see his ailing mother.
He said his mother wished to see him as early as possible, but the volatile political situation had left him puzzled about planning his trip.