Bangladesh court bans rooftop train travel

People climb onto carriage roofs in the South Asian nation to avoid buying tickets - or when demand soars during major festivals, when tens of millions of people return to their villages. - AFP

Dhaka (AFP): A Bangladesh court banned people from travelling on train roofs - a common sight in the country during peak holiday periods - in an effort to prevent passenger deaths, a prosecutor said.

A bench of two High Court judges, Nazrul Islam Talukder and Khizir Hayat, passed the order as part of a clampdown on corruption in Bangladesh Railway (BR) - the state-run rail monopoly.