Yet another sabotage on railway:Daily Star

The derailed carriages of Joyantika Express at Paghachong in Brahmanbaria yesterday. Alleged supporters of the nationwide hartal had removed the rail lines. Photo: Banglar Chokh Railway service was again hit yesterday as a train derailed in Brahmanbaria after saboteurs had removed lines on the first day of the BNP-led alliance's 36-hour hartal. The capital's rail link with Chittagong and Sylhet wa
s suspended after six bogies of the Sylhet-bound Joyantika Express derailed in Paghachong of Brahmanbaria at 2:10pm, said Sayedur Rahman, assistant director of Bangladesh Railway. "Saboteurs removed sections of the railway lines leading to the derailment. We are working our best to restore the rail link," he told The Daily Star. A relief train from Akhaura headed for the site to begin the rescue operation, he said, adding, "Salvage operation will take less time since Paghachong is adjacent to Akhaura." The railway network was also hit before the agitation. Commuters suffered a haywire train schedule amidst subversive activities throughout the country. Since the beginning of the BNP-led combine's blockade, four incidents of sabotage have so far taken place as alleged blockaders removed fishplates and rail lines, leading to a schedule collapse. Besides, the pickets hurled a crude bomb at a train in Mymensingh, leaving one injured. Alongside the hartal, yesterday was the 20th day of the combine's countrywide blockade that was marked by a few stray incidents of violence. Advertisement At least 30 people died, scores suffered burns and many were groaning in hospital beds with other forms of injuries since the beginning of the blockade. Compared to other days, presence of public transport, including bus and three-wheelers, was thin on the capital's thoroughfares yesterday. In Dhaka, a bus driver was injured as alleged hartal supporters hurled at least two crude bombs at his vehicle at Karwan Bazar around 9:45am. Driver Sarbat Ali, 35, received treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, police said. Around 9:00pm, a college student was admitted to the same hospital with head injuries after he was injured in a petrol bomb attack on a vehicle at Khilkhet. A total of nine buses were torched across the country yesterday. In Natore, a bus driver was injured when a petrol bomb was hurled at an onion-laden truck at Gazirbeel around 3:00am. As pickets threw the bomb, driver Nazrul Islam, 35, lost control and the vehicle turned turtle beside the road. He along with onion trader Shahin Ali, 36, received first aid at Natore Sadar hospital, said Basudev Banik, district police chief. In Naogaon, two parked buses were torched at Dhaka Bus Stand of the town around 4:30am. In Chapainawabganj, alleged pro-blockaders torched another truck at Chamagram of the sadar upazila and blasted several crude bombs on Saturday night. In Chittagong, Islami Chhatra Shibir activist Sabbir Hossain Nakib, 20, from Chakaria upazila was held and beaten up when he was trying to run away after exploding a crude bomb at Aamtala around 12:45pm, said Inspector Nejam Uddin of Kotwali police. Law enforcers arrested 49 BNP-Jamaat men in Gaibandha, 14 in Jamalpur and 11 including the district president of Shibir in Chittagong.