Milestone to Secretariat: Protests erupt after jet crash, demanding justice and answer
The 6-point demand
- Publication of accurate names and details of the deceased
- Release a full list of the injured
- Public apology for the alleged assault on teachers by army personnel
- Compensation from the Air Force to bereaved families
- Cancellation of outdated and risky aircraft
- Reforms in Air Force training procedures to ensure safety
Protests broke out in Dhaka and beyond today, a day after Monday's Air Force jet crash at Milestone School and College in Dhaka's Uttara, which killed at least 31 people and injured dozens more.
At least 75 people were injured in the demonstrations, which erupted amid mounting anger over the government's response, delayed HSC exam rescheduling, and a perceived cover-up of the true death toll.
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As outrage intensified, the government withdrew Siddiq Zubair, senior secretary at the education ministry. The decision was made public by Information and Broadcasting Adviser Mahfuz Alam in a Facebook post this afternoon.
The protests began in Dhaka early in the day when hundreds of Milestone School and College students gathered on campus, chanting slogans and demanding justice.
Law and Education Advisers Asif Nazrul and Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, along with the Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, arrived at the Diabari campus around 10am to meet demonstrators, but were soon besieged and unable to leave.
The students presented a six-point list of demands: the publication of accurate names and details of the deceased; a full list of the injured; a public apology for the alleged assault on teachers by army personnel; compensation from the Air Force to bereaved families; cancellation of outdated and risky aircraft; and reforms in Air Force training procedures to ensure safety and humane standards.
Despite assurances from the government that it supported the demands, protesters refused to let the advisers leave until the commitments were made official. As tensions rose, the three top officials eventually exited the campus through a rear gate with police assistance around 7:30pm, around 9 hours of their confinement.
Police remained on campus throughout the day but avoided direct confrontation. Still, clashes broke out as some students threw bricks, inadvertently injuring their own peers. Over 100 officers were deployed to the site.
Protests spread to Secretariat
By afternoon, thousands of students gathered near the Secretariat in Dhaka. Protesters and police clashed around 3:45pm after breaching Gate-1 of the compound. Several vehicles were vandalised, and law enforcers were injured in clashes.
Police resorted to batons, teargas, and sound grenades to regain control. Army and paramilitary forces were called in as all Secretariat gates were shut, causing hours-long gridlock within and around the premises.
Following the crackdown, protesters regrouped in nearby Gulistan. They blocked key roads and pelted police with stones, prompting renewed clashes. By evening, traffic in large parts of central Dhaka remained suspended.
At least 75 people were reportedly injured in the clashes, according to Inspector Md Faruk, in charge of DMCH police outpost.
Delay in postponing HSC exams fuels rage
Apart from the plane crash, another trigger behind the unrest was reportedly the education ministry's delayed decision to postpone HSC and equivalent exams.
Multiple sources close to two student advisers said Adviser Asif Mahmud initially proposed postponing Monday's scheduled exams during a meeting with Education Adviser Abrar on Monday evening. However, Abrar reportedly dismissed the suggestion and insisted the exams would proceed as planned.
When concerns from students were raised again shortly afterwards, Abrar is said to have referenced the Milestone authorities and claimed they too wanted the exams to go ahead.
Later that evening, student Adviser Mahfuz Alam also attempted to reach the education adviser, but received no response. By then, anger had already erupted among students nationwide.
Mahfuz Alam reportedly visited the education adviser's residence around midnight. There, he reportedly learnt that the primary reason behind the refusal to postpone the exams was Siddiq Zubair, senior secretary of the education ministry.
According to sources, it was the senior secretary who strongly opposed the postponement, and the education adviser remained firm on his decision because of that.
Attempts to reach Education Adviser Abrar by phone for comment went unanswered.
Protests elsewhere
In Chattogram, students blocked roads in Muradpur, demanding the resignation of top education officials over the decision to proceed with exams during a national tragedy.
"We found out at 3am. Is that how a government should treat students in mourning?" said Raihan, an HSC examinee from Omar Gani MES College.
In Barishal, students gathered outside the Education Board office in Nathullabad and blocked the Dhaka-Barishal Highway for several hours. They held a "gayebana janaza" for the crash victims and demanded accurate disclosure of casualties.
In Sylhet, students blocked the Sylhet-Zakiganj-Beanibazar highway, calling for the resignation of both the education adviser and the senior secretary. Traffic resumed only in the evening after hours of disruption.
"The entire nation is grieving, yet we were expected to sit for exams as if nothing happened," said Altaf Hossain, a protester in Sylhet. "They failed us – not just in exams, but as human beings."
