Raj Gobinda Das and Asir Uddin

Raj Gobinda Das, the driver of the Drutajan Express that ran through a BNP rally spilling onto the rail line on Monday killing six, said he was not informed beforehand of such a gathering near or on the track.
"Usually station authorities alert the train driver before the start if there is any crowd, programme or temporary market on or nearby the rail track. But I received no information about the BNP programme," Gobinda told The Daily Star in an interview yesterday.
Gobinda was seriously beaten by angry opposition supporters after his train crushed the ill-fated six. He was under treatment in a private hospital at Enayetpur under the district's Chowhali upazila. He received injuries to his chest, head, hands and back.
Asir Uddin, the head driver of the train, suffered injuries to his head and other limbs following the mob attack. Some people took him to a local hospital. Later, he was sent to Parbatipur Railway Health Complex, Dinajpur.
Meanwhile, our Dinajpur correspondent visited Asir Uddin's residence at Gulpara, Parbatipur. He has been taken home. But due to some fatal injuries, he was not in a condition to speak.
The enquiry committee formed by the deputy commissioner took Gobinda's statement yesterday afternoon. Gobinda, an assistant driver of Bangladesh Railway, was on the driver's seat that day.
"I got no message from Jamtoil or Soidabad about the rally," said Gobinda. "I was steering normally. I saw a crowd before reaching Soidabad-Mulibari level crossing near the Soidabad Station and thought people would leave the track.”
He added, “The gateman [at the crossing] put barriers and rang the bell. And the train was whistling."
After crossing the spot, he heard screams of passengers who got panicked following the attack by angry mob. "Meantime, the engine's vacuum pipe [that controls air pressure] got disconnected,” he continued, “The train was heading Dhaka at 20-25kmph speed.”
Asked why the pipe was severed, Raj Gobinda said he didn't get time to check as the people already had swooped on him. But he recalled main driver Asir Uddin had stopped the train.
The train finally stopped some 150 yards away from the rally stage.
Law enforcers rescued Gobinda from the crowd's rage and kept him in a car. The mob started to vandalise the vehicle and this was when he lost his sense.
Some people brought Gobinda to a nearby house and attackers stormed the place too. Later, villagers sent him to Enayetpur Hospital, he added.
Asked whether he could understand that people were crushed under his train, he said it was tough to see from the driving seat. The seat is high and a train driver can't see anything within 10 feet of the front.
Hiramon Das, gateman at the level crossing where the accident occurred, told The Daily Star he put barriers and rang the alarm bell, but crowds were busy hearing their leaders.
"We warned them using hand mike, but they [people on rail line] didn't bother to move," he said. "They were chanting slogans and speakers were addressing through loud speakers."
He said rally organisers took no step to free the rail line. Asked whether the train was too speedy or not, he said the speed was normal.
The opposition, however, alleged the train was too speedy during the accident.
Hiramon said the crossing has no phone facilities. Even the nearby Mansur Ali station also has no phone. Abdul Kuddus, stationmaster of Jamtoil Station, 11km off the accident spot, admitted it.
Abdul Kuddus, however, said they have vital display unit, a computerised signalling system of railway, through which stations get message in case of any problem.
Stationmaster Ali Ahmed of Soidabad station, said everything was going on as usual and there was no negligence from nearby stations.
The accident spot was around 2km off Soidabad Station.