More than 100 second-class local, mail and commuter train services have remained suspended across the country since the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite several new intercity train services being introduced on different routes during this period, Bangladesh Railway has shown little interest in restoring the suspended services or introducing new second-class train services. While passengers have demanded additional stops for intercity trains, implementation has fallen far short of demand. Incidents of stone-pelting targeting non-stop trains have consequently increased alarmingly.
Trains operated by the Eastern Zone have been targeted in 224 stone-pelting incidents over the past 17 months, according to Bangladesh Railway sources. Four of the five trains most frequently targeted are non-stop services. Railway officials believe that aggrieved residents living near stations where these trains do not stop are throwing stones at the trains.
An analysis of railway data shows that 224 stone-pelting incidents occurred during the 12 months of 2025 and the first five months of the current year. Among approximately 40 affected trains, the five most frequently targeted were Parjatak Express, Cox’s Bazar Express, Bijoy Express, Subarna Express and Sonar Bangla Express. Together, these five trains accounted for 91 incidents, or 41 percent of the total. Except for the Bijoy Express (operating between Chattogram, Jamalpur and Mymensingh), the other four are non-stop intercity services. Notably, these four non-stop trains among 40 trains alone accounted for 74 incidents, representing 31 percent of all stone-pelting cases recorded.
During the period under review, Parjatak Express, operating on the Dhaka–Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar route, was targeted in 24 incidents, while Cox’s Bazar Express on the same route faced 19 incidents. On the Dhaka–Chattogram route, Subarna Express was attacked 15 times and Sonar Bangla Express 16 times.
Bijoy Express, which operates on the Chattogram–Jamalpur–Mymensingh route, was targeted in 17 stone-pelting incidents.
Although Bijoy Express is not a non-stop service, it has suffered from severe schedule disruptions since its launch. Railway transport officials acknowledged that widespread passenger frustration over the train has made it one of the most frequently targeted services despite making scheduled stops.
Income tax lawyer Shyamal Chandra Das, 45, recently lost vision in one eye after being struck by a stone thrown at a moving train by miscreants in Ashuganj, Brahmanbaria, according to available data. Earlier, in August 2013, Priti Das, a 27-year-old female engineer, was killed after being hit by a stone thrown at a train in Bhatiari, Chattogram. Besides passengers, train drivers, guards, and attendants have also sustained serious injuries in similar attacks over the years.
Speaking to Bonik Barta, Railway Secretary Md Fahimul Islam said, “Stone-pelting at trains has become a social menace. We remain vigilant about the issue. It is partly true that public resentment toward the Bangladesh Railway has grown because second-class train services remain suspended. But the primary cause is the broader social disorder and moral deterioration that have contributed to such incidents. Alongside law enforcement agencies, efforts are also being made at the community level to reduce stone-pelting.”
An analysis of railway data shows that the Ramu–Islamabad section on the Cox’s Bazar route has recorded the highest number of stone-pelting incidents. Over the past 17 months, the section witnessed nine attacks, mainly targeting Cox’s Bazar Express and Parjatak Express. The Paghachang–Brahmanbaria section recorded the second-highest number of incidents with eight, followed by the Barotakia–Sitakunda–Chinki Astana section with seven. The Kumira–Sitakunda–Bhatiary section and the Noapara–Montala–Shayestaganj section each recorded six incidents, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively.
Commenting on the social psychology behind stone-pelting at trains across the country, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chittagong and sociologist Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury told Bonik Barta, “People living along railway lines don’t throw stones at trains for just one or two reasons. It’s part of a broader collective and psychological pattern of criminal behaviour. A culture of impunity has encouraged people frustrated with railway services to engage in such acts. Bangladesh Railway also bears part of the responsibility as a service provider. The limited capacity of the railway security force to prevent such incidents, along with the railway’s failure to meet public demand for services, has contributed to the increase in stone-pelting. Addressing this crisis will require consistent multi-dimensional interventions.”