Such incidents have become a recurring hazard on the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar railway route, injuring passengers and damaging train windows despite repeated awareness campaigns.
A passenger train at Coxs Bazar train station. File Photo: TBS
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A passenger train at Coxs Bazar train station. File Photo: TBS
A passenger on the Dhaka-bound Cox’s Bazar Express suffered a head injury after stones were hurled at the train in Lohagara, Chattogram, on 22 August. Despite receiving first aid, his bleeding would not stop, prompting a doctor travelling on the train to recommend immediate hospitalisation.
The train, which normally stops only in Chattogram, had to be halted en route so the 39-year-old passenger, Shaheen Ahmed, a resident of Uttara, could be taken to a hospital in Boalkhali.
In another incident on 27 April, three passengers were injured when stones were thrown at the Dhaka-bound Cox’s Bazar Express in Chakaria. One of them lost four teeth. Earlier, on 17 January, a nine-year-old child was injured by a stone thrown at the Cox’s Bazar-bound Tourist Express.
Such incidents have become a recurring hazard on the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar railway route, injuring passengers and damaging train windows despite repeated awareness campaigns.
Infograph: TBS
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Infograph: TBS
In response, Bangladesh Railway has installed four closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras on a coach of the Tourist Express on a trial basis to identify those responsible.
The cameras were installed in the last week of September, with two on each side of an air-conditioned coach.
Mamunul Islam, general manager of Bangladesh Railway’s eastern zone, said the cameras had been installed experimentally in one coach.
“If the trial proves successful, cameras will gradually be installed on other trains,” he told TBS.
Cox’s Bazar trains among the worst affected
Between January 2025 and May 2026, the eastern zone recorded 224 stone-throwing incidents, of which 43 involved the two nonstop Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar trains. The Tourist Express was targeted 24 times and the Cox’s Bazar Express 19 times, placing both among the five most frequently targeted trains.
The Dohazari-Cox’s Bazar railway connection began operations in December 2023 after being built at a cost of around Tk11,500 crore. Four pairs of trains now operate on the route daily, carrying 8,000-9,000 passengers between Dhaka, Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar.
However, railway police have filed cases over only 11 stone-throwing incidents and arrested just three people. Railway authorities had earlier announced cash rewards for information leading to the identification of perpetrators.
Under Section 127 of the Railways Act 1890, anyone who knowingly throws an object at a train in a way that could endanger passengers faces life imprisonment or a minimum 10-year prison sentence. Enforcement, however, remains limited.
Shihab Jisan Anik, who works for a private organisation in Cox’s Bazar, told TBS he travels to Chattogram every week in fear of being hit by stones.
“I have witnessed several stone-throwing incidents targeting my coach. The railway cannot be made safe unless those responsible are brought to justice. Installing CCTV cameras is a positive step, but it will have little impact unless the perpetrators are identified and prosecuted,” he said.
Mohammad Ashiqur Rahman, divisional signal and telecommunications engineer of Bangladesh Railway in Chattogram, said the camera installation was still at the research and development stage.
A recent stone-throwing incident in Pahartali was not directly captured by the cameras, although several people standing nearby were identified, he said.
“As cameras have been installed in only one coach of a 400-500-metre-long train, they cannot capture the entire incident. Cameras will also be installed at the front and rear of trains. After monitoring the system, we will submit recommendations on how to position cameras to capture incidents more comprehensively,” he told TBS.
Sujan Kanti Dey, officer-in-charge of Chattogram Railway Police Station, said stone-throwing was more common on newer railway routes.
“Children and teenagers often throw stones for fun, while drug users are also involved in some cases. Such incidents are more frequent on the Cox’s Bazar route than on other routes, particularly around Dulahazara, Chakaria, Ramu and Islampur,” he said.
Police regularly conduct awareness programmes through beat policing in coordination with local public representatives, he added.
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