A sub-assistant engineer of Bangladesh Railway has been temporarily suspended in connection with the derailment of the Karnafuli Express train on the Dhaka-Chittagong railway in Laksam upazila of Comilla. The punitive measure was taken after it was revealed that track repair work was underway at the accident site without prior notification to the railway control room. Meanwhile, the railway authorities have formed a four-member inquiry committee to thoroughly investigate the causes behind the sudden train accident.
The suspended official has been identified as Sarwar Alam, who was serving as a sub-assistant engineer under the engineering department of Bangladesh Railway's eastern zone in the Feni region. The track repair work near the outer area of Naoti station adjacent to Azgora Bazar in Laksam upazila was being carried out under his direct supervision. On Wednesday around 12:30 PM, while the repair work was ongoing, three wheels of the engine and five carriages of the Chittagong-bound Karnafuli Express derailed, causing panic among passengers and leaving at least seven people injured.
According to railway sources, standard operating procedures dictate that before initiating any track repair or maintenance work on such a busy corridor, the concerned sub-assistant engineer must inform the central control room, adjacent station masters, and signal departments to ensure necessary caution for moving trains. However, in the case of the Naoti station work, this protocol was blatantly ignored. Because the control room was kept uninformed, the oncoming train failed to receive timely cautionary signals.
Chittagong Divisional Railway Manager Mostafizur Rahman Bhuiyan confirmed the suspension order to the media late Wednesday night. He stated that failing to notify the control room during active track maintenance constitutes severe professional negligence. Based on initial findings, sub-assistant engineer Sarwar Alam was suspended immediately, and the newly formed four-member probe committee has been directed to submit a comprehensive report following a thorough on-site investigation.
Railway insiders note that track renovation work has been ongoing around the Naoti area between Laksam and Nangalkot railway stations for some time. However, lack of coordination and failure to adhere strictly to safety protocols by field-level officials continue to pose serious risks to train operations. Fortunately, no major casualties were reported, and the injured passengers received local first aid. Authorities confirmed that final disciplinary action against the suspended engineer will be taken once the investigation committee submits its formal report.
