United News of Bangladesh

The Dhaka University student who was conducting a one-man protest against corruption in the country's rail administration, has been forced to come off his daily program at Kamalapur Station. Instead he has submitted a memorandum containing his demands and grievances to the director general of Bangladesh Railway. Mohiuddin Rony, a 4th year student of Dhaka University's Theatre and Performance Studies Department, has been protesting alleged mismanagement and corruption at Bangladesh Railway since before Eid ul Azha, after falling victim to the dodgy e-ticketing system. Rony, who has cut a lonely figure through his protest despite plenty of people agreeing with his views and offering support through other means except standing by him, told journalists how the authorities were slowly making it impossible for him to carry on.     Read: Parliamentary watchdog switches off ACs and lights during meeting to save electricity "Kamalapur Station authority stopped me from entering the station territory yesterday, and today when I went to submit my memorandum to the director general of Bangladesh Railway (at Rail Bhaban), Ansar-police tried to block me from entering the building," Roni said.  He had been showing up at the station since July 8, with a 6-point charter of demands to reform the railway system. There  is no doubt he would be viewed as an irritant, whether in Kamalapur or Rail Bhaban, especially since the fraudulent e-ticketing system had already been uncovered by the authorities, and steps were underway to completely replace it.  His demands are to stop passenger harassment by e-ticketing platform SOHOZ.com, to prevent the black market chain of ticket selling, to stop the online booking system altogether and facilitate an easier, more transparent way to buy any type of ticket for the masses, to increase the number of trains to meet demand, and finally to form strong monitoring cell that truly ensures quality service on behalf of BR, right down to the price of goods like water, food etc... in the train. Roni styled his trek to Rail Bhaban from Kamalapur station today as a 'Long March'.  Contacted, he said, "During this protest I have faced  many challenges and threats to stop this protest but I want to see it through to the end." He also asserts that by imposing a ban on him so that he cannot enter the premises anymore, Kamalapur Station has clearly violated his civic right - a point on which he is probably on much firmer ground. He also said he is forced to hide his present location for 'security reasons'.  "Till now no one has assured me on my claims," he added when asked about his demands.