The Station was first inaugurated in 1898 under Assam Bengal Railway. Assam Bengal Railway was incorporated in 1892 to serve British-owned tea plantations in Assam. Assam Bengal Railway had III sections & Silchar railway station come under Section I named as Comilla–Akhaura–Kulaura–Badarpur section opened in 1896–1898 and finally extended to Lumding in 1903.[6]
Significance
Language Martyr's Memorial at Silchar railway station
Silchar railway station was the location of one of the uprisings in support of the Bengali language. When the Assam government, under Chief Minister Bimala Prasad Chaliha, passed a circular to make Assamese mandatory, Bengalis of Barak Valley protested. On 19 May 1961, Assam police opened fire on unarmed demonstrators at Silchar railway station. Eleven protesters were killed.
After the popular revolt, the Assam government had to withdraw the circular and Bengali was ultimately given official status in the three districts of Barak Valley.[7][8]
Every year, 19 May is celebrated as Bhasha Shahid Divas to commemorate the incident.
Amenities
The station contains three platforms serving several passengers. It contains retiring rooms or passenger waiting rooms with proper sanitation facilities.[9] The Station is upgraded with reservation facilities through ticket counters in the year 1995.[10] It is also upgraded with RailTel free WiFi facilities.[11] The station is also upgraded with a Digital Museum Video Wall on the entrance of the station that will showcase the rich heritage of Indian Railways and other information related to rail travellers[12][13]
On 9 June 2019, three coaches of Silchar–Trivandram Express caught fire in the early hours of Sunday, while it was stationed at Silchar railway station. No casualties recorded later[17]
Security
In 2020, High definition CCTV cameras were installed at platforms, circulating and waiting areas of Silchar railway station by Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) under ISS (integrated security system) to ensure round-the-clock security to passengers, especially women[18]
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