Amid the ongoing political unrest, the government has instructed Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) to deploy over 4,000 personnel along the rail tracks to prevent possible sabotage.

The home ministry yesterday issued a circular, signed by its Deputy Secretary Habibur Rahman, ordering the organisation to deploy the members at “vulnerable places” of 40 districts, an Ansar official told The Daily Star, wishing not to be named. 

"We are taking preparations for the deployment to prevent criminals from uprooting rail tracks and throwing all sorts of objects at trains," she said.

The official said the deployment would take place as early as possible.

The instruction came when road communications at many places have almost remained snapped since Sunday night, a day before BNP's planned rally in the capital for Monday marking the first anniversary of the 10th national election which it called "Democracy Killing Day".

BNP chief Khaleda Zia announced an indefinite nationwide blockade the moment she was barred from attending the rally.

During the ongoing blockade, criminals have carried out arson attacks on vehicles on roads in the capital and elsewhere that eventually prompted many to travel by trains.

Even though no arson attack on trains has been reported, the government made decision on the deployment to stop the recurrence of what had happened in 2013, added the Ansar official.

After the national election schedule was announced that year, criminals interrupted rail communications at many parts of the country by removing fish plates, uprooting rail lines, setting fire on those.

This severely hampered the rail communications on the Dhaka-Chittagong, Bogra-Lalmonirhat and Santahar-Natore routes.

Home ministry sources yesterday said the Ansar and VDP personnel would mainly be deployed in the areas where the rail tracks were attacked in 2013.