Extortion syndicate runs illegal market

DANGER ZONE: This is the site where four people were killed yesterday. Traders regularly sell goods right on the rail lines, endangering their and their customers' lives. Photo: Anisur Rahman

Yesterday's death of four people at Karwan Bazar rail crossing is more than just an accident. An illegal makeshift market run on and along the rail track by a syndicate is also to blame.  

This syndicate of politicians, traders and railway staff are behind running several hundred shops from which it realises a handsome amount of money every day, traders said.

The syndicate even formed an organisation using the name of Bangladesh Railway (BR) and deployed 30-40 people to collect money from these shops.

An illegal structure erected along the track has a signboard that reads: “Bangladesh Railway Community Police”. The signboard claims the organisation is approved by the Government Railway Police (GRP).

The signboard mentions one “Commander Siraj” who, traders say, is the leader of the toll collectors.

Although the makeshift shops on and along the track has been running for months, if not years, the GRP and Tejgaon police have done nothing to stop the dangerous enterprise.

It is because some members of the GRP and Tejgaon police also share the toll collected from the shops, sources said, asking not to be named. 

Contacted last night, BR Director General Tafazzal Hossain said, “We have no idea about it [the illegal shops and toll collection]. We will demolish the structures today [yesterday].”

Abdul Majid, officer-in-charge of Dhaka railway police, also claimed knowing nothing about the shops.

Pressed, he later said, “Some people may use the name of the railway to collect money.”

On the track alone, some 70-100 temporary shops of fish, vegetables and fruits run from dawn till 11:00am every day and the syndicate collects between Tk 2,500 and 3,000 daily, the sources added.

Dozens of women who live in the nearby slums sit on the rail track to dress fish. They, too, have to share their paltry income with the gang.

“We need to pay for selling fish here,” said a vendor, who was selling fish on the track when the accident happened around 8:45am.

Scores of permanent and temporary shops and shanties have also been set up along the rail track.

Siraj, whose full name is Sirajul Islam, disappeared after the accident. He, however, appeared at the scene in the afternoon.

“Don't sit here. Police may come and arrest you,” he alerted some fish traders around 5:30pm.

Talking to The Daily Star, he denied he was involved in the toll collection. About the death of the four people, he said, “It was their destiny.”

Over the years, the BR has tried to stop the illegal business but failed due to resistance by the syndicate.

“We demolished the illegal structures built by the rail track several times, but they were rebuilt within 24 hours,” said Abu Taher, the immediate past director general of railway.

The railway authorities also made several attempts to knock down the slums built illegally along the track but failed due to strong opposition by the syndicate and protest of human rights bodies.

“Also, we can't do anything about the slums as there is a High Court order against the eviction,” said Tafazzal, the incumbent railway DG.

More than 300 shanties were set up on both sides of the track years ago. It is now one of the largest drug peddling centres in the city, which operates with protection from the syndicate.

Over the years, local AL and BNP leaders helped set up the illegal shops, shanties and three wholesale fish markets on the railway land allegedly in exchange for money.