Home
+
Published : 21 Jul 2026, 11:29 AM
Rail services between Rajshahi and the rest of Bangladesh have been suspended after Rajshahi University (RU) students blocked a railway line over allegations that a train ticket examiner assaulted a student.
The protesters have put forward a four-point list of demands.
On Tuesday from about 6:30am, a group of students gathered on the railway line near the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and began demonstrating.
Farid Uddin Ahmed, general manager of Bangladesh Railway's Western Zone, said the blockade has left the Dhaka-bound Banalata Express and Silk City Express stranded at Rajshahi Railway Station.
According to him, the two trains have been unable to left despite their scheduled departure times.
The disruption has suspended rail services between Rajshahi and the rest of the country, he said, adding that efforts are under way to resolve the situation.
The student at the centre of the protest, identified as Forkan Uddin, a 2019-20 academic session student of the university's law department, said he was returning to Rajshahi from the capital on the Padma Express on Monday night.
He alleged that several passengers were being charged without official receipts and that when he protested, a ticket examiner (TTE) on duty assaulted him.
Forkan said he and several others later reported the incident to the Bangladesh Railway Western Zone office but received no positive response.
They subsequently blocked the railway line, demanding a “proper investigation”.
The protesters have placed four demands before the authorities.
They want the TTE brought before them, permanently dismissed over allegations of taking bribes and prosecuted on charges of attempting to murder the student, with Bangladesh Railway acting as the complainant.
They have also demanded compensation for the student and that all long-distance trains stop at Rajshahi University Railway Station.
Expressing solidarity with the protest, Rajshahi University Central Students' Union (RUCSU) General Secretary Salahuddin Ammar said law student Forkan had been assaulted after objecting to passengers being charged without government receipts and ticketless travellers being allowed to continue their journey.
He said no trains would be allowed to pass through Rajshahi University Railway Station until the TTE was produced and legal action taken against him.
Ariful Islam, a student of the Department of Islamic Studies Department and general secretary of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall Students' Council, said one of their fellow students had been assaulted for speaking out against wrongdoing.
He alleged that irregularities in the railway system and harassment of those who protested had become routine, adding that rail communication would remain suspended until their demands were met.
University Proctor Prof Mahbubor Rahman said the university had received allegations that a TTE on the Padma Express had assaulted one of its students.
He added that passengers were suffering because of the rail blockade, and discussions were under way between Bangladesh Railway officials and the protesting students to resolve the situation quickly.
Later, Vice-Chancellor Prof Faridul Islam, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Prof Abdul Alim and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) Prof Mamunur Rashid spoke with the protesting students and assured them that steps would be taken to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
