Two Chittagong University students were seriously injured in an attack by snatchers aboard a shuttle train Sunday morning.
The incident occurred in the last compartment of a train departing Sholashar Station of Chattogram city for the university at around 10:15am.
The victims Morsalin Ahmed Miraj and Tanzila Begum, are both students of the English department from the 2019-20 academic session.
Sources said that the two boarded the train’s last compartment en route to campus when two assailants ambushed them. Morsalin suffered deep injuries after being slashed on both sides of his face with a sharp blade. Tanzila sustained head injuries after jumping from the moving train in a desperate attempt to escape the attackers.
Both students were rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital and they were undergoing treatment there.
CU proctor Tanvir Mohammad Haider Arif confirmed the attack, stating, ‘The snatchers targeted the students with the intent to rob them. Both sustained serious injuries and have been sent to CMCH for better medical care. Incidents like this are occurring due to the railway authorities’ negligence in ensuring passenger security.’
He further added that the university administration had notified the officer-in-charge of Chittagong railway police station, urging immediate action to enhance safety on shuttle trains.
Repeated attempts to contact the OC of the police station for comments went unanswered.
Over the past three years, at least 18 students have been injured in similar attacks by snatchers on CU shuttle trains.
On April 14, 2022, two men attempted to sexually assault a female student on a shuttle train traveling from the university to the port city. The perpetrators of that incident remain unidentified.
