An altercation over train carriage access escalated into violence at Kushtia Court Railway Station on Saturday afternoon, leaving a father and son with knife injuries and triggering a two-hour rail blockage.
The conflict unfolded aboard the Dhaka-bound Sundarban Express when a conductor guard, identified as Abdullah Al Mamun, allegedly drew a sharp weapon and attacked two passengers following a dispute over seating access. Fearing retribution from an increasingly incensed crowd, the entire operating crew fled the locomotive, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded until civil administrators and police intervened.
Low Platforms and Rapid Escalation
The incident occurred at approximately 12:30 pm on Saturday, 25 July, as the Sundarban Express pulled into Kushtia Court Railway Station. Among the waiting passengers were 60-year-old Abdur Rahim, his wife, and their 40-year-old son, Shafiul Awal Suman, all residents of neighbouring Chuadanga district.
Owing to the substantial height disparity between the station platform and the carriage footboards, the family struggled to board their assigned compartment. Fearing the train would depart without them, they boarded an adjacent air-conditioned carriage instead.
Eyewitnesses reported that conductor guard Abdullah Al Mamun confronted the family immediately for entering the premium carriage without valid tickets. The interaction deteriorated rapidly into an aggressive exchange. During the argument, Mamun reportedly shoved Abdur Rahim’s unwell wife, causing her to fall. When her husband and son stepped in to protect her, Mamun produced a sharp knife and slashed both men across their hands.
Shafiul Awal Suman, Injured Passenger: “My sick mother and father were trying to board the train to travel to Chuadanga when a staff member blocked us. At one point, he pushed my mother, making her tumble down. When we argued inside the compartment, he pulled out a knife and stabbed my father and me. Our hands were cut as we tried to defend ourselves.”
Emergency Medical Care and Station Standoff
Onlookers and fellow passengers rushed to assist the injured men, transferring them to Kushtia 250-Bed General Hospital for urgent treatment.
Dr Iqbal Hasan, the hospital’s Resident Medical Officer (RMO), confirmed that both victims required multiple stitches to their hands before being discharged with necessary prescriptions.
Word of the stabbing spread rapidly across the platform, provoking furious reactions from bystanders and commuters. Protesters blocked the railway tracks and surrounded the Sundarban Express, demanding immediate punitive action. Recognizing the volatile situation, the locomotive master, train director, and accompanying railway staff abandoned their posts and fled the station premises.
Police Intervention and Service Restoration
The blockade disrupted train services along the regional network, stalling several passenger routes. Upon receiving reports of the crisis, Kushtia Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Harun Or Rashid and Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Pronob Kumar Sarkar arrived at the scene with police reinforcements.
The authorities negotiated directly with the crowd, guaranteeing an impartial investigation and strict legal measures against the perpetrator. Reassured by the administration, protesters cleared the tracks after roughly two hours, allowing railway operations to resume.
Kushtia Court Railway Station In-Charge Iti Khatun verified that the accused employee, Abdullah Al Mamun, serves as a conductor guard for Bangladesh Railway.
Additional Superintendent of Police Pronob Kumar Sarkar assured reporters that legal proceedings will proceed following the inquiry. However, Kabir Hossain Matubbar, Officer-in-Charge of Kushtia Model Police Station, noted that neither his station nor the Poradaha Railway Police Station had received a formal written complaint (ejahar) from the victimised family by Saturday evening.
