Militant threats reduce train passengers in Western Zone

Arrest of a JMB (Jama'atul Mujahideen, Bangladesh) suspect at Chuadanga station on December 20 and two others on December 9 and December 14 from two trains have panicked people away from availing train journey, Railway sources said. JMB suspect Ambia Khatun was arrested from Mohananda Express at Syedpur on December 9 and Iqbal Hossain from Rocket Mail at parbatipur on December 14.

JMB in a telephone call to Saidpur Railway Hospital and in a letter sent to the principal of Saidpur College recently threatened to blow up trains and important railway installations.

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Sources at Saidpur railway station said over 30,000 people used to avail trains from the station. The number has declined by about 40 percent in about a month. Same is the situation with Parbatipur, one of the biggest railway stations in the country.

Station Master of Nilphamari railway station Md Abdullah said over 8,000 passengers availed trains from the station in November. The number came down to around 3,000 in the first 20 days of December, he said.

A high level source at BR's Western Zone Divisional Headquarter at Pakshi told this correspondent over phone that the number of passengers declined sharply in the first fortnight of December from that in the corresponding period in November.

When contacted over cell phone, Western Zone Divisional Railway Manager ANM Khasru however claimed that there has not been a substantial decrease in the number of passengers. "There is ups and downs (in the number of passengers)", he said.

Railway sources said 85 trains including inter-city, mail and local trains run in the 109 routes in Western Zone of BR. Mail trains running on different routes are Ekota Express, Teesta Express, Shimanto Express, Rupsha Express, Borendra Express, Titumir Express, Sunderban Express, Druto Jan, Silk City, Lalmoni Express and Karatoa Express. Dinajpur--Dhaka, Saidpur--Khulna, Nilphamari--Rajshahi, Rajshahi--Dhaka, Lalmonirhat--Dhaka are some of the important routes in the Western Zone. Besides, there are some local trains.

Millions of people travel in these trains every month. Apprehension of bomb attack has reduced the number in last one month, the sources said.

GRP sources said there are 12 railway thanas and 17 outposts covering the 22 districts in BR's Western Zone. But theses are not properly manned and well equipped. There are only 12 search teams of police, which is too inadequate to the requirement.

Security men do not have any metal detector in important stations like Iswardi, Bogra, Joypurhat, Lalmonihat, Shantahar and Nilphamari to check passengers.

To meet security needs, Saidpur Police Superintendent recently sent an emergency message to Dhaka seeking additional police and equipment. He is yet to get any response. Saidpur is the headquarters of railway police in western zone.