Railway workers spotted the fire in carriage ‘Dha’ after the intercity train arrived at Mohanganj railway station at around 4.30am on 10 November. With assistance from local residents, they used a fire extinguisher carried on the train to bring the flames under control.
According to Mohanganj railway station sources, the Haor Express had departed from Kamalapur railway station in Dhaka at around 10.15pm on Monday, heading for Mohanganj. After reaching its destination early on Tuesday, passengers disembarked. Railway staff subsequently noticed smoke coming from one of the carriages.
Upon inspecting the carriage, they discovered that several seats were on fire. The blaze damaged seats numbered 4, 5, 10 and 11. However, it was contained before spreading further, preventing more extensive damage to the carriage.
Mohanganj stationmaster Zahirul Islam said A N M Nurul Amin Chowdhury was on duty when the incident occurred. He managed to extinguish the fire with help from people present at the station and worshippers from a nearby mosque.
Although four seats were destroyed, the incident did not cause any major damage, Zahirul Islam said. Train operations continued as normal, and the scheduled timetable remained unaffected.
The stationmaster also reported another fire-related incident earlier that night along the Mymensingh–Mohanganj railway route. At around 1.15am, a fire was discovered on the railway tracks in the Challisha area of Netrokona Sadar upazila. Members of the law enforcement agencies and local residents subsequently brought it under control.
Meanwhile, several other incidents of violence and vandalism were reported in Mohanganj town during the same night.
At around 10pm on Monday, the house of former Netrokona-4 MP Sazzadul Hasan was attacked and set on fire in the Daulatpur area of Mohanganj municipality. The incident damaged furniture and other household belongings.
At approximately the same time, allegations emerged that the homes of former mayor Latifur Rahman, president of the Mohanganj upazila unit of the Awami League, and his brother Sultan Ahmed, the party’s upazila cultural affairs secretary, had been vandalised and looted. Their residences are located near the municipal office, opposite Mohanganj railway station.
Attempts to contact Latifur Rahman and Sultan Ahmed by mobile phone for their comments were unsuccessful, as both phones were switched off. However, Sultan Ahmed posted photographs of damaged furniture at his home on his personal Facebook account.
In his post, he said he had spent his life involved in literary, social and cultural activities while maintaining good relations with people from different backgrounds. Despite this, he alleged, his home had been attacked and looted three times simply because of his association with the Awami League.
He further claimed that the latest attack had left virtually nothing behind, with household furniture, gold ornaments and cash among the items taken or damaged.
Describing the incidents as deeply regrettable, Sultan Ahmed said violence, looting and political hostility were not positive signs for any political party. He also reminded his followers that political power was never permanent.
Mohanganj upazila BNP president Selim Karnayen, meanwhile, said his party had no information about who was responsible for the attacks and vandalism. He categorically denied any involvement by BNP leaders or activists, including members of its affiliated and associated organisations.
Mohanganj Police Station officer-in-charge Hafizul Islam said he had been informed about the fire aboard the Haor Express, but the incident was being investigated by the Railway Police.
He also said that several Chhatra League activists had staged a brief torch procession at an undisclosed location during the night and subsequently shared footage of the demonstration on Facebook. Police later conducted an operation and detained one person in connection with the incident.
The officer-in-charge added that allegations of attacks, vandalism and arson targeting residential properties were also being investigated. According to him, the reported damage in these incidents was relatively limited. Some chairs and tables had been set on fire, while bricks and stones were thrown outside the gates of the houses.
The incidents have raised concerns over security in Mohanganj, particularly as fires were reported both on the railway line and inside a passenger train, alongside attacks on properties belonging to local political figures.
However, no connection between the separate incidents has yet been established. Investigations by the Railway Police and local police are expected to clarify the circumstances surrounding the fire aboard the Haor Express and the other incidents, as well as identify those responsible.
