Four members of the Bangladesh Railway Police have been withdrawn from active duty and attached to the Paksey Railway Police Lines after a woman was allegedly raped inside the catering car of a moving intercity train. Authorities confirmed that further investigations are underway to ascertain the full extent of the officers’ involvement in the crime.
The incident took place on Monday morning aboard the Kurigram Express while the train was travelling from Dhaka towards Kurigram. According to the First Information Report (FIR) and initial police statements, the survivor was lured into or taken to the train’s dining car as the vehicle passed through the Natore region. She was subsequently assaulted by several individuals.
Hearing her screams, fellow passengers rushed to the catering compartment, intervened, and apprehended one of the suspects at the scene. The perpetrator, identified as 22-year-old Abu Bakkar Siddique, a catering attendant on the train and a resident of Abdulpur village in Natore’s Lalpur upazila, was handed over to the authorities. He was formally arrested by the Santahar Railway Police and sent to jail via a court order on Tuesday morning.
However, the victim’s account extends beyond the catering staff. In the case filed under the Prevention of Oppression Against Women and Children Act, five individuals have been named as accused. Crucially, the survivor alleged that two on-duty railway police personnel were directly complicit in the assault, alongside other accomplices.
Santahar Railway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Dulal Uddin confirmed the administrative action against the escort detail. He stated that all four police personnel assigned to the Kurigram Express during that journey have been temporarily reassigned to ensure an unhindered probe. OC Uddin emphasized that if the ongoing investigation confirms the involvement of the police officers, strict legal and departmental action will follow.
The case has ignited renewed public concern over passenger safety on long-distance trains, particularly regarding the accountability of private catering vendors and security staff deployed on state-managed rail networks. Forensic examinations and detailed interviews with train staff and eyewitnesses are currently underway to trace all five individuals named in the complaint.
