10 rapes in 5 years on moving trains, railway staffers guilty in most cases
Incidents of rape on moving trains and railway stations in the country are on the rise, with at least 10 incidents reported in the last five years, where railway employees have been found involved in most of the cases.
The incidents throw light on the inadequate security measures on trains, highlighting the perpetrators’ evasion of justice.
The latest incident occurred on 26 June, when a 19-year-old girl, from Bandarban, was raped by the workers of the catering service provider SA Corporation in the pantry car (meal compartment) on the Udayan Express while traveling to Chattogram.
She alleged that workers of the catering service provider molested and raped her when the train was passing through Cumilla’s Laksam area around 4am.
The Railway Police have so far arrested four employees of the food supplier in this connection.
Most cases on Eastern and Western Railways
Children as well as women of various ages have fallen victim to rape on moving trains in Eastern and Western Railways in recent years. It is the railway employees who take the opportunity to commit rape – sometimes in a secluded compartment or in the toilet.
According to the Railway Police, at least 10 cases of rape have taken place since 2019.
On 22 June 2019, a man named Md Mominul Islam, 26, tried to rape an eighth-grade student in the toilet of the intercity Silk City Express train en route to Rajshahi from Sirajganj.
On 21 August the same year, the body of a madrasa girl was recovered from the toilet of an abandoned compartment of the Balaka commuter train at Kamalapur Railway Station. She had been raped and killed by strangulation. She had come to Dhaka from Panchagarh with her boyfriend Maruf Hasan Bandhan. Later, Bandhan surrendered to police following a murder case filed by the victim’s father.
On 20 January 2020, Rajshahi Railway Station Master Moin Uddin raped a housewife. Later, departmental action was taken against him. On 17 February the same year, a man named Jalal Uddin tried to rape his ex-wife by getting her off a moving train in Natore.
On 30 January 2021, Assistant Generator Operator Zahid of the Surma Mail train raped an 18-year-old girl on the moving train after the train left Sylhet station.
On 28 June 2022, a man named Babul Hossain physically harassed a student on the shuttle train of Chittagong University.
On 19 September 2023, a man named Mintu strangled his stepdaughter on a moving train of the Simanta Express after raping her. After being arrested, he admitted to the police that he had raped the girl multiple times and strangled her.
This year, on the night of 16 January, a 13-year-old physically challenged girl mistakenly boarded the Lalmonirhat-Dhaka intercity train. As she did not have a ticket, attendant Akkas Ali took her to an empty cabin and raped her. Later, passengers rescued her and handed over the attendant to the police.
The latest incident took place in the pantry car of the Udayan Express on 26 June, where around seven employees of the food supplier company found the girl alone and raped her.
Superintendent of Chattogram Railway Police Mohammad Hasan Chowdhury told The Business Standard that the force immediately arrested four people in this connection and enhanced vigilance on trains.
Md Nazmul Islam, General Manager of Eastern Railway, said about the Udayan Express incident that the involved individuals had been immediately dismissed, and the activities of the organisation [SA Corporation] had also been suspended.
Only departmental action from Railway against guilty staff
Many women facing sexual harassment on trains opt not to go public about it in order to protect their dignity, while some others come forward and report the crimes to the police.
GM of Eastern Railway Nazmul explained that while the court has provisions to punish anyone who commits rape or attempts to molest female passengers on trains or at stations, the railway authorities can only take departmental action against the perpetrators.
“The railway police are responsible for handling incidents that occur on moving trains, including investigating such incidents and suspending the offenders from service. Ultimately, the court’s decision is final, as the railway authorities do not have the jurisdiction to impose additional penalties beyond the court’s ruling”, he added.
CCTV surveillance demanded for carriages, stations
To prevent incidents of rape on trains, civil society leaders said every train compartment and uninhabited places in the stations and stoppages should be brought under CCTV coverage.
“CCTV cameras should be installed in all places to prevent rape and other criminal activities,” said Akhtar Kabir Chowdhury, general secretary of Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) Chattogram.
While the railways are spending crores of taka [on the service], spending only a few lakhs on passenger safety would significantly improve security, he added.
GM Nazmul said the new coaches are already equipped with CCTV cameras, and efforts are underway to install cameras on all remaining trains.
“Passenger safety is our top priority,” he added.
