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The locomotive master of a train filled with passengers has fled after arriving at Mymensingh Railway Station from Netrokona’s Mohanganj amid a work stoppage launched by railway running staff.
The incident sparked outrage among the passengers who detained the station superintendent. More than 500 passengers were travelling on the train, reports bdnews24.com.
The incident occurred on the Dhaka-bound intercity Haor Express around 10:30 am on Tuesday, Akter Hossain, chief of Mymensingh Railway Station.
Superintendent Nazmul Haque Khan said: “The passengers have confined me and I can’t leave. I’ll contact the higher-ups to see what can be done. I can’t reach the locomotive master either. He just fled and put me in this spot.”
One of the passengers of the train, Jubair Ahmed said: “I’m going to Dhaka on the Haor Express with my uncle, who is ill. The train has reached Mymensingh after starting from Mohanganj but is not leaving for Dhaka… I’m in big trouble.”
Another passenger Hasanul Haque said: “It’s fine that the train won’t go to Dhaka, but why would it then depart from Mohanganj? Why aren’t we being refunded the price of our tickets? That’s why we’ve detained the superintendent. He will not be freed until a solution is found.”
The railway running staff have gone on an indefinite work stoppage from 12am on Tuesday, demanding the addition of running allowances in their basic pay for pension calculations and gratuity benefits.
The strike left passengers in distress as train services came to a halt countrywide.
The Ministry of Railways on Tuesday assured in a statement that tickets would be refunded if the trips are cancelled.
Akter Hossain, Mymensingh Railway police in-charge, said: “Additional police personnel have been deployed to maintain order during the protest. We’re trying to calm the passengers. The train has over 500 passengers. We’re discussing sending them to Dhaka in some other way.”