Several carriages of Udayan Express derail at Kulaura of Moulvibazar yesterday after criminals removed the fishplates from the lines there. Photo: Mintu Deshwara/Star In a chilling reminder of last year's pre-election violence that saw railway taking the brunt, two acts of sabotage yesterday sent rail communications in disarray again. At least 50 passengers were injured as five carriages and the l
ocomotive of a train bound for Chittagong derailed at Kulaura of Moulvibazar after suspected blockaders removed fishplates there. Rail communications in the western zone were disrupted for four hours after “pickets” uprooted lines in Joypurhat. The attacks came a day after the government instructed Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party to deploy over 4,000 personnel along the rail lines to prevent possible sabotage. Until yesterday, the BNP-led 20-party alliance's nationwide nonstop blockade had virtually no effect on the railway. In Moulvibazar, Udayan Express, carrying 700 passengers and heading for Chittagong from Sylhet, derailed around 3:00am, said Shamsul Alam, stationmaster of Kulaura Rail Station. Rail communications between Dhaka-Sylhet, and Sylhet-Chittagong routes were restored at 10:30pm, said local police. Of the 50 injured, 12 were in critical condition and admitted to Kulaura Upazila Health Complex and local clinics. The rest had first aid, police said. Advertisement Jahangir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kulaura Railway Police, said pro-blockade pickets had removed the fishplates. In Joypurhat, alleged blockaders uprooted about 36-foot of rail lines in Kuri Bridge area, causing a four-hour suspension of train services between Rajshahi and Khulna, and Rajshahi and Dhaka. Authorities noticed the matter around 6:50am. They halted trains and repaired the lines within four hours, said Nurul Islam, stationmaster of Joypurhat station. Abu Kalam Siddique, superintendent of Joypurhat police, claimed they had information that blockaders had carried out the act of sabotage. They did the same at Uri Madhabpara in Joypurhat but luckily it was spotted before an accident could occur. Photo: Mintu Deshwara/Star BNP leaders in both the districts, however, denied involvement in the incidents. The railway has been put on high alert to prevent subversive activities, said Railway Director General Amzad Hossain yesterday. He said a four-member enquiry committee was formed to probe the incident of Udayan Express, reports UNB. A senior sub-assistant engineer of the railway was suspended for negligence of duty. Amzad further said another four-member probe body was formed to investigate the incident in Joypurhat where two people were arrested. Ahead of the January 5 general election last year, the railway was on the receiving end of a series of acts of sabotage allegedly carried out by the then opposition alliance activists. They removed fishplates, uprooted tracks and set fire to rail lines to disrupt the services. Railway Minister Mujibul Haque in February last year told parliament that nine people were killed and 53 were injured in the hit-and-run attacks by the BNP-Jamaat men. He said 246 people were arrested in 62 cases filed in connection with attacks on the railway, and the railway incurred a loss of Tk 93.48 crore in 2013. Besides the attack on rail communications, the third day of the indefinite blockade yesterday witnessed sporadic violence in several districts. The disruption to road communications continued. Launch services were, however, normal. Blockaders clashed with police, torched and vandalised vehicles and exploded crude bombs. Dozens of BNP-Jamaat men were arrested. At least 17 vehicles were torched across the country, nine in Dhaka alone. In Chapainawabganj, at least three people, including a policeman, were injured when blockaders hurled homemade bombs in two separate incidents. Irtiza Hasan, Shibganj upazila nirbahi officer, said a convoy of 81 trucks loaded with imported goods left for their destinations from Sonamasjid Land Port, guarded by police, Rab and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel. When the convoy reached Shibtala, blockaders torched a stone-laden truck with a petrol bomb. The driver and helper of the truck were injured. They also vandalised three more lorries. Blockade supporters also burnt a truck at a filling station in Mohodipur of Shibganj around 9:00am. When police rushed there, they hurled crude bombs injuring a constable. Activists of pro-Jamaat student body Islami Chhatra Shibir vandalised over 50 battery-run rickshaws at different places in the district. In Dhaka, a bus was set on fire in Banasree residential area around 12:30pm. The blockaders pretending to be passengers managed to flee after pouring petrol inside the bus and setting it alight, said Mustafiz Bhuiyan, officer-in-charge of Khilgaon Police Station. Criminals torched a bus around 4:30pm at Nilkhet while another bus was burnt in Jagannath University area around 5:15pm, fire service officials said. A government tow truck was set ablaze in Titipara and a CNG-run three-wheeler was burnt in Matsya Bhaban area in the evening. In Chittagong, criminals set a parked bus on fire in Garibullah Shah Shrine area around 8:45pm, said Sukanta Chakraborty, inspector (investigation) of Khulshi Police station. In Bahaddarhat area of the city, rickshaw-puller Sumon, 22, of Bhola was injured when a homemade bomb exploded near him around 8:00pm. Two bombs had exploded there and the police recovered one unexploded. There were reports of arrests, vandalism, bomb explosions and arson attacks from Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Gaibandha, Chandpur, Bogra, Panchagarh, Satkhira and Pirojpur. In Noakhali, Begumganj police yesterday filed a case against 3,700 BNP and Jamaat men in connection with assaulting police and the death of two Jubo Dal activists at Chaumohoni on Wednesday. BUSES WILL RUN The leaders of transport owners and workers associations yesterday agreed to put buses back on service across the country after the government assured them of security and compensation for casualties and damage to vehicles due to attacks by blockaders. "To ensure security, we will deploy BGB, Rab, Police and Ansar men along roads, rail lines and key waterway locations from tonight [last night]," said State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan. In addition, law enforces would escort buses and goods carrying vehicles on the highways. The decision was made at a meeting held at the home ministry. The meeting was attended by Asaduzzaman Khan, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan, State Minister for LGRD and Co-operatives Mashiur Rahman Ranga, the chiefs of BGB, Rab, and police, and the leaders of transport owners and workers associations. Secretary General Enayet Ullah of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Samity told The Daily Star after the meeting, "We handed over a list of attack-prone places on the highways and requested the government to beef up security there." Asked about the compensation for victims and damaged vehicles, State Minister Asaduzzaman said leaders of transport owners and workers would determine the extent of the damages while the government would provide the money based on their report. Enayet, however, said they would not consider passenger casualties as casualties. Confined to her Gulshan office since Saturday night, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday called the indefinite blockade after she was barred from attending a rally to observe "Democracy Killing Day" on the first anniversary of January 5 polls that her party had boycotted.
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