Stoning on moving trains is a huge problem in Bangladesh: says official
New Delhi: The official of the rail department of Bangladesh expressed concern about the stone-pelting on moving trains in the country. Mass awareness campaigns are the key to solving this problem, he said.
Train travel in Bangladesh is considered to be one of the safest ways to commute, but regular incidents of people pelting stones at moving trains have turned out to be life-threatening for both passengers and railway staffers.
According to sources of Railway police of Bangladesh – from January till August this year, at least 15 such cases were reported in Dhaka district alone. The highest cases are reported in Kamalapur, Tejgaon, and Bhairab.
Dhaka Railway Police ASP Saifullah Alam told the media “Incidents of stone-throwing by miscreants at moving trains have become a serious issue for BR (Bangladesh Railways). This problem is quite widespread but we often find it difficult to identify those responsibly. Most of the stoning cases were reported from slum areas along the railway tracks and sometimes children do it as a game. However, some others throw stones with harmful intent.”
There are certain laws and provisions in Bangladesh that allow Security Forces to take action against the culprits, the scope becomes limited when the offender is a juvenile. Identifying the exact offender is a major problem for the Police of Bangladesh because of the nature of the crime.
Under the Railways Act 1890, victims can initiate cases when they are attacked during a train journey, but many choose not to do so as the process is lengthy and involves a lot of problems for the complainant. If someone dies after being hit by a stone, there are laws for awarding the death penalty to the accused under Section 302.
In 2019, only two cases were filed against a total of 19 stone-throwing incidents reported. The tally rose to 21 in 2020 but the number of cases remained the same. Making things worse, police failed to arrest most of the perpetrators involved in such crimes.
ASP Saifullah Alam echoed the railway DG and said: “We try to keep active surveillance along the railway tracks. Our efforts are underway to create mass awareness regarding this issue. Local adults are urged to educate their children on not throwing stones at trains.”
