Protesters block railway in Rajshahi over dissatisfaction with allocated train

A group of student protesters advocating against discrimination temporarily blocked railway operations in Rajshahi on Tuesday morning, expressing dissatisfaction with the train allocated for their journey to Dhaka. The students were headed to the capital to attend the July Declaration Ceremony.

The protest disrupted train services for nearly an hour, severing Rajshahi’s rail connectivity with the rest of the country. Services resumed after the demonstrators vacated the railway tracks.

According to witnesses, the Ministry of Railways had allocated a special train with 548 seats, rented for Tk 4.85 lakh, for participants traveling to the Dhaka event. However, upon arrival at the station, many passengers deemed the train unfit for a timely and comfortable journey. This led to an impromptu sit-in protest on Platform 1, starting around 7:15 AM.

In a show of frustration, the demonstrators also blocked the Silk City Express, which was scheduled to depart for Dhaka at 7:20 AM. The protest escalated when the group split into two factions — one eventually agreeing to travel on the special train, while the other group, comprising 35 passengers, opted to travel on the Silk City Express.

Tensions ran high during the protest, but no incidents of violence were reported.

Rajshahi Railway Station Manager Shahidul Alam confirmed the disruption and clarified that the special train departed at 8:05 AM after some passengers lifted the blockade upon receiving official confirmation of the allocation. The remaining passengers were accommodated on the Silk City Express.