Railway officials and employees held a human chain and protest rally in Sylhet on Monday to protest alleged attacks and harassment against Bangladesh Railway personnel while they were performing their official duties.
The programme was organised by the Sylhet railway station authorities on the station premises on Monday morning.
Station Manager Nurul Islam presided over the programme, where station masters and other railway officials and employees spoke.
The speakers alleged that some people travel without tickets in AC coaches and cabins of intercity trains, disrupting the normal and safe journey of passengers who have purchased valid tickets.
They said railway officials and employees responsible for checking tickets often face arguments, disorderly behaviour, abusive language, threats and obstruction of their official duties when they ask passengers to show their tickets.
According to the protesters, travelling without tickets not only causes the government to lose revenue but also puts pressure on railway personnel responsible for ticket inspections. In some cases, such incidents have escalated into physical attacks on railway employees aboard moving trains and at railway stations, they alleged.
Referring to several recent incidents, the speakers said railway officials and employees were allegedly assaulted by passengers travelling without tickets on Train No. 792 Bonolota Express on August 4 and Train No. 726 Sundarban Express on July 25.
They also alleged that several passengers without tickets were found in an AC coach of Train No. 753 Silk City Express after it left Abdulpur Railway Station on August 7.
When the passengers were asked to pay the minimum applicable fare and penalty and move to a non-AC coach, they allegedly threatened the railway officials and employees, obstructed their official duties and threatened to kill them.
Later, when the train arrived at Rajshahi Railway Station, a group of 20 to 25 people allegedly attacked officials and employees of the Western Railway, including Chief Commercial Manager Mohammad Ahsan Ullah Bhuiyan, according to the speakers at the protest.
The protesters demanded full security and a safe working environment for railway officials and employees while carrying out their government responsibilities.
They also called for the immediate arrest of those responsible for attacking railway personnel and demanded exemplary punishment for the perpetrators.
