BNP supporter beat the driver and guard to death.
Dont understand the meaning of calling a public meeting on a train line?
Who is to be blamed?
Rakib Hasnet Suman from Sirajganj
It was not a usual ground for arranging a mass rally in Sirajganj.
But, the local BNP selected the Sayedabad ground, which is three kilometre away from the Bangabandhu Multi-purpose Bridge, to avoid possible “trouble” with local Awami League at Ullapara--where the rally was supposed to be staged.
On October 1 or 2, the BNP took permission from the local administration to hold a student-mass rally at Ullapara on October 10.
But, the BNP shifted both the spot and the date of the rally as local Awami League also selected the same venue at Ullapara to hold another rally of their party.
After selecting the Sayedabad ground, which is 10 to 15 yards away from the Dhaka-Dinajpur rail tracts, Sirajganj district unit BNP general secretary submitted an application to the local administration on October 8 seeking security measure at the ground to hold the rally there.
Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, president of Sirajganj district unit BNP, said this to The Daily Star yesterday when he was asked about the selection of the venue.
While Mosharaf Hossain, superintend of police of Sirajganj, claimed that the BNP did not take permission from local administration to arrange the rally at Sayedabad ground but sought security measures.
“If we asked them [BNP leaders] not to hold the rally at the ground, they could raise allegation that the government is putting obstacle before the opposition to hold the rally,” he added.
Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, president of the district unit of BNP, said, “We thought that we got the permission as we did not face any obstruction and we arranged the rally.”
He also said there was no scheduled train to cross the Syedabad station in between 3:00pm to 6:00pm yesterday.
The Dhaka bound Drutajan Express was supposed to cross Sayedabad station around 2:20pm like other days. But, yesterday it came there 45 minutes later at 3:05pm starting from Dinajpur.
The reason for delay starting of the train from Dinajpur could not be known immediately.
Meanwhile, the central BNP leaders started delivering speech from the stage and thousands of BNP men and locals took position at a spot on the rail track, which was 10 to 15 yards away from the main stage.
Witnesses said though the signalman was waving the red flag hearing the whistle of the coming train, people were not paying much attention to him. They were rather busy hearing the speeches of BNP leaders over loud speakers.
And suddenly the train ran through a crowd on the track leaving five dead on the spot.
Witnesses said the train driver probably tried to stop the train at the last moment as it stopped 100 yards away after hitting the crow.
However, details on the role of station staff could not be known, as none of them was available after the accident.
Momrez Hossain, stationmaster of Mansur Ali Station, which is before Sayedabad, said there is no telephone connection between the stations.
Usually, Sayedabad is informed about schedule of train arrivals there by Jamtoil station, which is before Mansur Ali Station, he said.
But, it could not be known immediately whether Jamtali informed Sayedabad about the arrival of Drutajan.
“It went out of the control of my volunteers to tackle the huge number of people who stood on the railway track,” said BNP leader Iqbal.
Who is to be blamed?