A Bangladesh Railway probe into the death of Preeti Das, who died after a stone hit her while travelling in a train, has failed to pin responsibility.
The investigation report, submitted on Tuesday, blamed ‘unidentified miscreants’, saying they might have hurled the stone for fun.
Assistant Transport Officer Abdur Razzak of the railway’s eastern zone, who heads the committee, said they had filed their report with three recommendations to Divisional Railway Manager Sukumar Bhaumik.
File Photo
“Punishing the perpetrators, running campaigns through radio and television [against such acts], and creating awareness among the people,” were the committee’s three suggestions, Razzak told bdnews24.com.
Miscreants had hurled stones at the Dhaka-bound Turna Nishitha at Chittagong’s Bhatiari on the night of Aug 10. One of them hit 24-year-old Preeti Das, who was travelling with her husband. She died of her wounds hours later.
Preeti was a student of architecture at a private university in Chittagong.
Railway authorities and police failed to explain why people frequently threw stones at passing trains.
They believe intoxicated people do it at night and children commit the mischief during the day.
Others imagine that people throw stones at trains in the hope of stopping them.
Police filed a case over Preeti’s death and detained one Rubel from the spot on Aug 12.
They detained Iqbal Hossain over the same incident on Monday. A Chittagong court had given police two days each to interrogate the two.
Chittagong railway police OC Md Shahidullah said Iqbal was locally known to be a ‘goon’.
Preeti’s relatives had held a media briefing at the port city’s Press Club and formed a human chain, demanding justice, earlier on Saturday.
According to documents from the railway’s eastern zone, nine incidents of stone-throwing had taken place at Daulatganj, Fatemanagar, Gendaria, Manikkhali, Kosba, Faujderhat, Sonaimuri, Lalmai, and Bhatiari this year. Railway officials and passengers said they were frequent occurrences.
Trains had to stop for 25 to 40 minutes in three cases. Window glasses of more than one train had been shattered and the train driver or his assistants were injured.
The Railway Act provides for life imprisonment for hurling stones at trains with the intention to harm the passengers. It also has provisions for 10-year jail terms and fines.
However, railway officials could not recall any instance of anyone being punished under the Act.
Source: Bd news24
Half-hearted and insincere investigation is responsible for unmitigated and unabated momentum of crimes. The investigator should know the location where this tragic incident happened. He should have taken intelligent efforts to know the truth because every crime must leave a clue. From this news we are disappointed to learn that our investigation team is manned by unworthy, dullard and incompetent persons. More unworthy and dishonest are those who appoint such incompetent people in important offices.