The slogan “there would be no place for corrupt on the soil of Bangabandhu’s Bangladesh” chant by a group of Dhaka University students, has sent a fresh warning message to the railway officials and employees who are still involved in corruption.
The DU students went to Kamalapur railway station and joined their fellow classmate Mohiuddin Roni who has been staging solo protest against corruption in the country's rail administration there and demanding an end to passenger harassment and mismanagement since July 7.
The corrupt officials and employees of
railway must be severely punished
Roni started protesting mismanagement and corruption at Bangladesh Railway before Eid ul Azha. His (Roni) strong voice has escalated the protest across the country, encouraging more students of different schools, colleges and universities to stage sit-in at different railway stations. They are now seeking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s intervention to put an end to passengers’ suffering and equal opportunity for everyone in purchasing tickets online or offline..
Sheikh Hasina repeatedly warned government officials against corruption saying corruption should be stopped, corruption should not take place in any form. An organised gang of thugs in association with a section of officials and staffs are engaged in harassing and humiliating the passengers in many ways at all stations including Kamalapur in capital Dhaka every day. Besides, they are also engaged in black marketing of train tickets and passenger harassment.
People rush to purchase their desired tickets online but they find all online tickets are out of reach within minutes of becoming available every morning. In many cases if any passenger refuses to pay extra money for his or her ticket at all railway stations, he or she is harassed,
humiliated, misbehaved and even beaten up by the organised brokers, cheat and corrupt officials in and outside of the stations.
Following the DU student Mohiuddin Roni’s protest the High Court yesterday came down hard on Bangladesh Railway issued the verbal directive taking up the issue in suo moto. The High Court asked the Anti-Corruption Commission to inform the court what action was taken against railway ticket syndicate, mismanagement and corruption in Bangladesh Railway.
The authorities concerned must break the graft chain and take legal action against the officials identified as corrupts immediately accordingly. If the government wants to free railway from corruption and mismanagement, at first its officials and employees must be honest, accountable and transparent.
The corrupt officials and employees who loot public money and humiliate and harass passengers must be dealt with iron hand. It is a moral responsibility and obligation of the government officials and employees to stay beside the people instead of misappropriation of public money and humiliating passengers. Therefore, the corrupt officials and employees of railway must be severely punished so that none is dared to do so in future.
