Leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) vandalised the Chittagong Railway Station yesterday as they did not get tickets to their destinations.
Witnesses said dozens of BCL members of Chittagong City College unit, ransacked the offices of railway officials following an altercation with railway staff members.
Later, they brought out a protest procession and demanded punishment to the railway employees.
GRP police outpost In-Charge Yeasin Faruq told the Dhaka Tribune: “Some students of City College, who are members of Chhatra League, became agitated and vandalised the station after failing to get tickets.”
When contacted, BCL city unit General Secretary Nurul Azim Rony told the Dhaka Tribune: “We were scheduled to attend a party programme in Dhaka. So, we applied for 340 tickets of Dhaka-bound Sugandha Express for August 20. The rail authority assured us that they would arrange the tickets in due time.
“But when we came to inquire about the matter, the railway employees engaged in an altercation with us. At one stage, they beat some of our members, leaving two activists injured. They were sent to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.”
Nurul said: “We will continue our demonstration and will not leave the place until the officials responsible are punished.”
Denying the allegation, however, Station Master Zafar Iqbal said: “Our staffs did not beat any of them. It is true that they had applied for tickets. But, instead of talking to us properly, today they engaged in an unnecessary argument with us.
“They showed off their political power and misbehaved with our officials. At one stage, they went on the rampage.”
In the face of protests, Zafar Iqbal suspended booking clerk Mohsin Ali, said Murad Hossain, Divisional Railway Manager of Purbanchol Bangladesh Railway.
The railway authority has formed a five-member committee headed by Divisional Traffic Officer Firoze Iftekhar to investigate the matter.