Athletics coach 'harassed' at metro station over wearing shorts
Sajjad Hossain says police stopped him for around 40 minutes at Farmgate station; metro official says there is no dress code for passengers
An athletics coach has alleged that a police officer stopped and harassed him at Dhaka's Farmgate Metro Rail Station this morning (27 September) over his wearing shorts after a training session.
Sajjad Hossain, who has trained marathon and ultramarathon runners for around 10 years, told Prothom Alo that he was stopped near the ticket-punching machine and kept there for around 40 minutes after a police officer described his clothing as "indecent".
His account and a video of the incident have been reported by multiple local media outlets.
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According to Sajjad, he had conducted a morning training session in Ramna and later went to Farmgate for some work. He then headed to Farmgate Metro Station to travel to Bijoy Sarani.
After buying a ticket and entering the station, a police officer stopped him and questioned his clothing. In a video posted by Sajjad on Facebook, the officer, whose nameplate reads "Zakir", can be heard telling him to dress "a little decently".
When Sajjad asked whether there was a written rule specifying what clothing was considered appropriate, the officer replied that determining this was his responsibility.
Sajjad said two other police officers also told him that the metro was a public place and that he could not enter wearing shorts. One of them asked him to return wearing trousers.
He said he was kept there for around 40 minutes.
Sajjad also alleged that a female official from the metro rail control board questioned him about his clothing and took a photograph of him before consulting senior officials.
He was eventually allowed to board the metro after senior metro rail officials were consulted.
A senior metro rail official told Prothom Alo that there is no dress code for passengers using the metro rail and said he did not know why police had stopped Sajjad over his clothing.
Sajjad said he later submitted a written complaint at Farmgate metro station but was not given a copy. He also said he was not allowed to photograph the complaint.
