The New Nation - Internet Edition

Chittagong Correspondent

Outburst of collective anger over accidental death of a student of Chittagong University led to torching and total destruction of Sholoshahar railway station here on Thursday morning.

Mahmudul Hasan Mamun (26), a third year student of Accounting and Information Systems, allegedly went under the wheels of the shuttle train and was killed instantly following an unsuccessful bid to land on the roof top of the moving train from the station's overpass.

The frenzied students did not only torch the station's railway traffic control, record rooms and ticketing booth but also prevented firefighters to get into the blazing station and save the valuables there. Two coaches of the university shuttle train were also set on fire during the melee that lasted more than six hours commencing at 10:00 in the morning.

Dozens of shops and commercial establishments in and around the railway station and running vehicles also went under vandalism and looting by the angry students and opportunist elements.

Several people including three news man came under physical assault and stripping in public during the chase and counter chase took place between the security people and the troublemakers.

Vehicular traffic via Muradpur - Sholoshahar was suspended until 4:00 p.m. from 10:00 a.m. as police blocked the road and diverted traffic to alternative routes. It puts entire city into total traffic gridlock for hours together.

Railway officials though claimed major damage at the station, could not specify the extent of the damage before detail investigation on the incident. No official statement from the railway was also issued.

Military squad rushed to the trouble spot but refrained from going on action while the elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the police intervened into the incident and defused the frenzy by bringing the demonstrators to negotiation table.

Armed police and detectives have been deployed in the area to tackle possible recurrence of the trouble.

The incident erupted at about 9:45 in the morning when Mamun fell on the railroad through the narrow passage in between two railway coaches and sliced into pieces.

Eye-accounts said that he had been trying to land on the rooftop of the shuttle train from the overpass of Sholoshahar railway station at that time.

"We didn't hear anything other than a loud scream since he slipped down into the passage between two railway coaches," Faruq Reza, who saw the accident from close range, told reporters.

The train was stopped after dragging Mamun's body for not less than 30 meters from the station platform.

As soon as the news of the heart-breaking accident came at the notice of the on board students, a section of the victim's classmates and friends rushed to the sliced body and started wailing while the others went on rampage.

The frenzied students first attacked the station's traffic control room and put the log-keepers room and ticketing booth on fire. The on duty railway men and the loco-master fled the scene sensing fury of hundreds of students.

Some of the crazy students backed by vested elements at this stage came out of the station and prevented the firefighters and the press photographers from entering the station area.

Armed by lethal weapons and batons the troublemakers manhandled three press photographers on charge of clicking shots of vandalism and arson. Looting of cell-phones, wallet and personal valuables also took place unabated at that time.

At a stage of the violence, the attackers damaged several running vehicles, and the wayside offices of different commercial firms. They also attempted to move to Chittagong Shopping Complex. None could enter the complex as the shutters of the market were immediately pulled down.

The sliced body had been on the railroad under no care until 2:00 p.m. Though Proctor of the university Dr. Jashimuddin tried to take the body away for autopsy, some of the students claiming them the workers of the Awami League backed Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) stopped him from doing this.

Later, Vice-Chancellor of the university Professor M Badiul Alam accompanied by a number of syndicate members and senior teachers came at the spot under special security escort.

They seat together with the representatives of the demonstrators - Badrul Alam Bidyut -in presence of victim's family members and Chief Operation Officer of the RAB-7 Shamsuddin.

A seven-point charter of demands has been placed before the university authority. A compensation package of Taka three million, immediate resigning of the VC and proctor, frequency of train's shuttling between campus and the city and arrest and trial of the culprits were among the demands.

The VC pledged to give compensation worth Taka 300 thousand to the victim's family apart from improving the shuttle service in the soonest possible time.

Panchalaish police recorded a rioting case in connection with the incident. None was, however, taken into custody till the time of dispatching this report.