A Correspondent:
Rajshahi: Train services between Rajshahi and the rest of the country resumed on Tuesday afternoon af-ter a nine-hour suspension, as students of Rajshahi University (RU) withdrew their blockade of the rail-way track following assurances from railway authorities that action will be taken over the alleged assault on a fellow student by travelling ticket examiners (TTEs).
The students withdrew their blockade around 3:00pm, leading to the resumption of train services.
RU Central Students’ Union (RUKSU) General Secretary Salahuddin Ammar said the railway authorities accepted all demands raised by protesting students over the alleged assault on a fellow student by the TTEs.
He also apologized to train passengers for the inconvenience caused due to the blockade.
Earlier in the day, Forkan Uddin, a 2019-20 session student of the RU Department of Law, was assaulted by TTEs in a train as he protested against collecting tolls from passengers without issuing tickets.
As soon as the news travelled to the campus, students took to the railway track and blocked it near the university campus around 6:00am in protest against the assault.
All trains scheduled to depart from Rajshahi Railway Station, including the Dhaka-bound Banalata Ex-press and Silk City Express, remained stranded due to the blockade, causing immense suffering for pas-sengers.
The incident sparked outrage among students, and they demanded exemplary punishment of the accused TTEs.
They had also announced that train services through the rail line adjacent to the university’s Faculty of Fine Arts would remain suspended until their demands were met.
Later, they withdrew the blockade following the assurances.
