Robbery on a train moving in Bangladesh. And then the horrifying experience in Bangladesh teaches the world for all of us, train safety. Inside (noting that a train never goes on the right way) a man hung onto a moving train that he clung in, looking like he robbed someone. There are people in and on top of a moving train on top of them they look like it.
In the video we saw a man hanging from the side of a crowded train. The train was green with red and white stripes and the train was packed with passengers inside and outside. On the train moving straight to the ground a guy reached toward the signal post. The signal light was red and in its sign sat a yellow sign with the number 30, according to witnesses and in the pictures, he tried to rob people on the train and it gave rise to an image of a crime scene and a threat.
What is extraordinary about this incident is how many of the passengers appeared to behave unfazed or uncaring instead of afraid: They had a cool head but no anger. They did not appear too afraid at this point, much as you would often think of it as entertainment. Such an attitude, I think, shows how dangerous or illegal behavior can sometimes be paraded around the area which we’d like to keep safe.
Bangladesh’s railway system is essential to tens of millions of commuters. Overcrowding and poor enforcement have led to unsafe conditions in this space: people are outside on the tracks and above or in the cabins but that isn’t the only danger from this kind of situation. Train robberies and unsafe behaviors not only destroy lives but the trust that many have in our travel systems.
Police working on moving trains can be challenging. Railway police have few resources left at all and are often not fully trained in order to police every train in the rural or crowded regions. Criminals use this as a means to ensure there is little enforcement where they can try; the officers may not be particularly trained in railway operations, so that any swift action might be even too late.
But the footage from Bangladesh isn’t solely about a popular hit on social media. That kind of video shows the danger commuters face on the way, how we need to keep public transport safe (and keep going and traveling safely). Although some say it shows entertainment, in actuality lives are at stake of that too. Train travel should always be safe for everybody to travel on, not as an activity of robbery and drama. But I think that the risk in the sense that someone sneaks into public transport does and they steal is very high even if we make public transport really safe for that. Policing and public knowledge needs for action in that regard, such incidents must continue to be prevented; policing and awareness are one step forward.
