A fire was deliberately set in one bogie of the intercity Haor Express train while it was standing at Mohanganj Railway Station in Netrokona.
The incident occurred early on Tuesday (10 November). The rexine covers of at least four seats were burned, but train operations were not disrupted.
Station Master Zahirul Islam said the Haor Express, which had come from Dhaka, arrived at Mohanganj station at 5:10 a.m. After passengers got off, the guard and other staff stepped outside to have their meal. Taking advantage of the empty train, miscreants set fire to one of the bogies.
Seeing the fire and smoke, the train guard and staff quickly tried to put it out with fire extinguishers. Later, fire service personnel arrived at the scene and brought the blaze fully under control.
The station master added that the fire was set in the ‘D’ bogie, which was parked outside the platform on the western side of the station—an area not covered by CCTV cameras. The rexine covers of seats 5, 6, 11 and 12 were burned. Necessary measures are being taken.
Zahirul Islam further stated that the fire caused no problem for train movement. The Haor Express left Mohanganj station for Dhaka at 8 a.m. as scheduled, carrying passengers.
Sub-Inspector Mobarak Hossain of the Mohanganj Railway Police outpost said miscreants had set fire to the empty train. Upon receiving the information, train staff, railway police and fire service members rushed to the spot and extinguished the flames. The bogie where the fire was started lies outside the coverage of CCTV cameras. The matter is under investigation.