10 rapes in 5 years on moving trains, railway employees guilty in most cases

The number of rapes on moving trains and at railway stations in the country is increasing. At least ten cases have been reported in the last five years. In most cases, railway employees were involved in the rape.

The incidents shed light on the inadequate security measures on trains and illustrate the perpetrators’ escape from justice.

The most recent incident occurred on June 26, when a 19-year-old girl from Bandarban was raped by staff of catering service provider SA Corporation in the dining car (food compartment) of the Udayan Express en route to Chattogram.

She alleged that employees of the catering service provider harassed and raped her when the train passed through Cumilla’s Laksam area at around 4 am.

The railway police have so far arrested four employees of the food supplier in this connection.

Most cases on Eastern and Western railways

Children and women of different ages have been victims of rape in moving trains on the Eastern and Western Railways in recent years. It is the railway employees who take the opportunity to commit rapes – sometimes in a remote compartment or in the toilet.

According to the railway police, there have been at least ten cases of rape since 2019.

On June 22, 2019, a man named Md Mominul Islam, 26, attempted to rape an eighth-grade student in the toilet of the Silk City Express intercity train en route from Sirajganj to Rajshahi.

On August 21 of 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. Bandhan later surrendered to the police after the victim’s father filed a murder complaint.

On January 20, 2020, Rajshahi station master Moin Uddin raped a housewife. Later, departmental action was taken against him. On February 17 of the same year, a man named Jalal Uddin attempted to rape his ex-wife by snatching her from a moving train in Natore.

On January 30, 2021, Zahid, assistant generator operator of the Surma Mail train, raped an 18-year-old girl on the moving train after it left Sylhet railway station.

On June 28, 2022, a man named Babul Hossain physically harassed a student in the shuttle train of Chittagong University.

On September 19, 2023, a man named Mintu strangled his stepdaughter in a moving Simanta Express train after raping her. After his arrest, he confessed to the police that he had raped and strangled the girl multiple times.

On the night of January 16 this year, a 13-year-old physically challenged girl boarded the Lalmonirhat-Dhaka intercity train by mistake. Since she did not have a ticket, the conductor Akkas Ali took her to an empty compartment and raped her. Later, the passengers rescued her and handed over the conductor to the police.

The latest incident occurred on June 26 in the dining car of the Udayan Express, where about seven employees of the food delivery company found the girl alone and raped her.

Chattogram Railway Police Chief Mohammad Hasan Chowdhury told The Business Standard that police immediately arrested four people in this connection and increased vigilance on trains.

Commenting on the Udayan Express incident, Md Nazmul Islam, General Manager of Eastern Railway, said that the persons involved were immediately dismissed and the activities of the organisation (SA Corporation) were also stopped.

Only departmental procedure of the railway against guilty staff

Many women who are sexually harassed on trains prefer not to make it public in order to protect their dignity. Others come forward and report the crimes to the police.

Eastern Railway General Manager Nazmul said that while the court has provisions to punish anyone who commits rape or attempts to molest female passengers in trains or railway stations, the railway authorities can only take departmental action against the offenders.

“The Railway Police is responsible for handling incidents on moving trains. This includes investigating such incidents and suspending the offenders from duty. Ultimately, the court’s decision is final as the railway authorities do not have the power to impose any additional penalties beyond the court order,” he added.

CCTV surveillance of carriages and stations required

To prevent rape on trains, civil society representatives called for all train compartments and uninhabited areas in stations and stops to be monitored by video surveillance.

“CCTV cameras should be installed everywhere to prevent rape and other criminal activities,” said Akhtar Kabir Chowdhury, general secretary of Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) Chattogram.

While the railway company spends millions of taka (on the service), spending just a few lakhs on passenger safety would significantly improve safety, he added.

GM Nazmul said the new coaches were already equipped with CCTV cameras and efforts were being made to install cameras in all other trains as well.

“Passenger safety is our top priority,” he added.