Two passengers injured after stones hurled at Jayantika Express near Tongi

Two passengers were injured after assailants hurled stones at the Jayantika Express near Tongi Junction on Sunday evening (August 2), the latest in a series of attacks targeting moving trains in Bangladesh.

The intercity train was travelling from Sylhet to Dhaka when stones struck one of its coaches, shattering a window and sending debris into the passenger compartment, witnesses and railway officials said.

The injured were identified as Fahim Mia, 14, from Ashuganj in Brahmanbaria, and Liton Mia, 50, from Bijoynagar Upazila in the same district.

According to family members, Fahim was seated beside a window after boarding the train at Ashuganj with his elder brother. As the train approached Tongi Junction, a stone thrown from outside smashed through the window, striking another passenger in the head before hitting Fahim in the neck.

The impact left the teenager in severe pain and temporarily unable to speak properly, relatives said.

Liton said he boarded the train at Mukundapur Station and suffered a head injury in the same incident. After receiving initial medical treatment, doctors advised him to undergo a CT scan in Dhaka for further evaluation.

A railway police officer assigned to the train said passengers had been advised to keep windows closed before departure as a safety precaution. However, many left them open because of the intense heat, allowing the stones to enter the coach.

The incident has renewed concerns over the growing number of stone-throwing attacks on moving trains, particularly along the Dhaka-Sylhet rail corridor, where similar incidents have repeatedly left passengers injured and caused damage to railway property.

Passengers and railway officials have called for tighter security measures and swift action to identify and prosecute those responsible for the attacks.