Mohammad Himel Ahmed, 25, was returning to Dhaka with friends after a trip to Cox’s Bazar when a stone hurled from outside struck the Dhaka-bound Cox’s Bazar Express on April 27. Four of his teeth were broken and the inside of his lip was torn. Another passenger, Mohammad Abu Sayeed, 40, suffered neck injuries.

Railway records show the train left Cox’s Bazar Station around 12:30pm that day. Himel and Abu Sayeed were seated in seats 35 and 36 of a non-air-conditioned coach marked “D”.

As the train crossed Chakaria, a stone thrown from outside hit them.

An attendant on duty told The Daily Star that the incident unfolded within seconds. “A stone thrown from outside suddenly hit the passenger directly in the face. He started bleeding immediately. We informed the train director and gave him primary treatment,” he said.

They later received treatment at Chattogram Railway Station.

This was not an isolated incident.

Between May 2025 and April this year, at least 27 such incidents were recorded on trains operating along the route, mainly between Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar, according to railway documents.

At least 12 passengers were injured during that period.

Railway records show that Ramu, Islamabad and Dulahazara areas experienced the highest number of such incidents on the route.

The Cox’s Bazar Express and Parjatak Express, operating on the Cox’s Bazar-Dhaka route, recorded the highest number of attacks.

For many travellers, train journeys have long been considered safer and less exhausting than road travel. But repeated stone-throwing attacks are now raising serious concerns about passenger safety on one of Bangladesh’s newest and most important rail routes.

Raihan Uddin, a former student of Chittagong University who now works at a non-government organisation in Cox’s Bazar, frequently travels on the route using the Saikat Express and Probal Express trains. On February 13, while travelling on the Saikat Express, a stone struck the glass window of his coach as the train passed through the Ramu-Islamabad section.

“We were shaken. If the window had been open, I could have been injured that day,” Raihan said.

According to railway police, some people who lost land during construction of the railway line, or those living close to the tracks, may be acting out of frustration or resentment. Authorities also suspect some teenagers throw stones for amusement.

Tarek Imran, deputy chief operating superintendent of Bangladesh Railway’s East Zone said, “This is now the biggest problem on the route. We are documenting every incident and forwarding them to law enforcement agencies.”

The incidents are also damaging railway property. At least 10 train windows were damaged in stone-throwing attacks over the past year, according to railway documents.

Md. Shuboktagin, general manager of the railway’s East Zone, told The Daily Star, “We instructed railway police to be proactive and raise awareness through local mosques and madrasas. We are also working with local administrations in affected areas and requested officials, including UNOs, to support awareness efforts.”

He said the railway lacks the manpower to guard tracks round the clock, adding that stone-throwing is a “social problem”.

“There is no alternative to community initiatives. Everyone has to help raise awareness from their own position,” he said.