A rare incident happened at Thakurgaon Road Railway Station when an intercity train was sent back five kilometres to pick up a senior railway official. The move angered passengers, and many joked that it was “a world record.”
The Panchagarh–Parbatipur-bound Kanchan Semi Intercity Express train left the station at 4:26pm on Monday but suddenly began moving backwards after a few minutes. The train returned to the station to pick up Abu Hena Mostafa Alam, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Lalmonirhat, who had missed the train.
When the DRM reportedly called the train a “local service” and initially refused to board, passengers became furious. They staged protests on the platform, shouting slogans against railway authorities. Videos of the incident went viral on social media, showing passengers venting their anger.
Passenger Shahabul Alam said, “It’s unfair to turn back a train for an official when ordinary travellers face delays every day.”
Amid mounting protests, the DRM eventually boarded the same train.
A railway official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “This is completely against the rules. Once a train leaves the platform, it cannot be brought back for any passenger or official.”
Local residents also said that such an incident has never happened at Thakurgaon Road Station.
Thakurgaon Railway Station Assistant Stationmaster Mostafizur Rahman confirmed the incident, saying, “The DRM sir came to inspect the station and was supposed to travel to Dinajpur. The train was brought back after receiving instructions from the Lalmonirhat office.”
DRM Abu Hena Mostafa Alam told reporters that he had felt unwell during the inspection and decided to take the next train. “The train left without informing me, and it was brought back without informing me as well,” he claimed.