CU Correspondent
A female student of Chittagong University (CU) was allegedly harassed by a group of students from Chittagong Polytechnic Institute on the university shuttle train on Wednesday (April 22).
The students boarded the shuttle at Polytechnic Halt during the 1:00 PM service and began behaving disruptively. When a female passenger asked them to stop, they verbally abused her and attempted to snatch her mobile phone. Other students who intervened were met with political slogans from the group.
At Jhautala station, commotion near the doors prevented many passengers from disembarking during the brief stop. Some students were forced to jump from the moving train as it resumed, raising safety concerns.
Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (CUCSU) Vice President Ibrahim Roni condemned the incident, stating that outsiders are not permitted on the shuttle yet passengers continue to face harassment due to insufficient security. He called on the university administration and railway authorities to identify those involved and pursue legal action and criticised the ongoing failure to ensure a safe commute.
CUCSU’s Secretary for Transport and Housing put forward an 11-point reform demand, including the addition of new trains, deployment of security personnel in each compartment, CCTV installation, strict schedule adherence and upgrades to station infrastructure.
Following the incident, CUCSU and Voice of Students representatives met with the proctorial body. Several decisions were reached: the shuttle will no longer stop at Polytechnic Halt; CCTV footage will be reviewed to identify the accused and initiate legal proceedings; footage of those raising political slogans will be forwarded to Polytechnic authorities and one security officer will be assigned to each compartment going forward.
The president of Voice of Students stated that their position against harassment of female students remains firm.