1,600 respond to metro rail ‘shorts’ event

Around 1,600 people have responded to a Facebook event calling for people to travel on the metro rail wearing shorts and T-shirts in protest against the alleged harassment of an athletics coach over his attire.

The event, titled “Let’s ride the metro in shorts!”, was created by a user named Shawon Ahmed. Farmgate Metro Rail Station has been named as the venue.

As of 8:30 PM on Monday, around 1,600 people had responded to the event, with about 1,400 expressing interest in attending.

According to the event description, running coach Sajjad Hossain went to Farmgate Metro Rail Station on Sunday morning after training, wearing a T-shirt and shorts. He alleged that a police officer stopped and questioned him, considering his attire “indecent”, and made him wait for around 40 minutes.

However, a senior official said there is no specific dress code for travelling on the metro rail.

Runners, athletes, cyclists, gym-goers and other citizens have been invited to join the event wearing regular sportswear.

The organisers said the event is a peaceful civic protest against harassment, a demand for clear rules and a call for respectful treatment of passengers. They said any restrictions on clothing should be clearly stated in written rules.

The event’s slogan is: “The problem is not shorts, the problem is harassment.”

Following Sunday’s incident, Sajjad Hossain posted a video on Facebook showing him speaking with a police officer at the metro station about his attire. He asked whether there were any written rules defining appropriate or inappropriate clothing. The officer replied that it was his responsibility to look into the matter.

Sajjad has been training marathon and ultramarathon runners for around 10 years. He also runs regularly and provides running training at various parks in Dhaka.

sks