‘Why here?’: Concerns expressed over airbase inside city

A training fighter jet crashed into a school compound in Dhaka's Uttara yesterday afternoon, claiming at least 20 lives. The horrific accident has left the nation mourning and raised urgent questions as to operating an air force base inside one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

Eyewitnesses described a scene of horror and chaos. Rescue workers scrambled to recover bodies from the burning debris, while families rushed to hospitals and morgues in a desperate search for their children. Grief quickly turned into outrage, as many began to ask about the safety protocols surrounding the Kurmitola air base inside the capital city.

For many Dhaka residents, the shock of the incident has renewed fears that have long gone unaddressed. Abdullah Faruque, a former Biman captain with decades of flying experience, publicly voiced his concern over the proximity of military flight operations to commercial and civilian zones.

"In densely populated areas of the world, where there's only a single runway handling numerous domestic and international flights, you don't see air force bases nearby," he wrote on Facebook. "I've landed in many airports in Europe, such as Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels, but never saw a fighter jet."

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the F-7 BGI fighter aircraft crashed after it took off from BAF Base Bir Uttom AK Khandker at Kurmitola. Soon after, the fighter jet faced a "technical malfunction" and went down.

The air base regularly hosts military aircraft, including high-speed jets used for training exercises. In a city already facing intense air traffic, the intersection of civil and military aviation has been a point of contention among pilots and aviation professionals for years.

Faruque shared his own unsettling experiences while flying into Dhaka.

"I, too, had two close encounters with fighter jets and got TA (Traffic Alert) warnings. At times, we have to wait for long durations as flights take off and land one after another."

In one such incident, he recalled a conversation with an Emirates pilot delayed on the runway for over half an hour, dangerously close to needing to return to the bay for refuelling.

In a heartfelt reaction, Novoair Managing Director and General Secretary of the Aviation Operators Association of Bangladesh, Mofizur Rahman, called for an urgent reassessment of military flight operations over populated areas.

"It was long overdue for a call to shift military flights, which is inherently risky, from such a densely populated city. Must we not think of an alternative place for an airbase?" Mofizur Rahman, who retired from the Air Force as a group caption, wrote in his LinkedIn profile this evening.

Beyond the technical concerns, the emotional toll of yesterday's tragedy was most deeply felt by the families of the victims. Al-Amin Noyon, a concerned citizen, shared his anguish in a Facebook post that has since gone viral.

"Today, my child also went to school. I can't even imagine if I had to see his burnt body, how would I go on living? In every photo I see my own child's face. My heart trembles. This pain is beyond words. Every parent's cry feels like my own."

His words echo a broader frustration that safety measures are not keeping pace with the expanding urban landscape, where schools and homes now surround institutions once isolated from the public sphere.

Senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi visited the injured at Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital yesterday and voiced deep concerns, questioning how a BAF training aircraft was allowed to operate over such a densely populated area.

"This is a densely populated area. Operating a training flight to learn to fly in such places seems mysterious to me," he said, reports UNB.

Meanwhile, economist Anu Muhammad, in a Facebook post yesterday night, said authorities must explain why fighter jet training is conducted over densely populated areas, and those responsible must be held accountable. 

The exact number of dead and injured must be disclosed, he demanded.

Economist Selim Raihan added his voice to the growing chorus demanding accountability.

"Why are air force training aircraft flying over such a densely populated city? What are the protocols in place for this? Or is it just arbitrary? I cannot bear to see or hear the news and images of the children," he wrote in a Facebook post. 

The sense of collective failure was echoed by Mutasim Billah, a faculty member at Cumilla University, who wrote, "We have failed to build a liveable Bangladesh for our children. The cries of the mothers who lost their children while they were just studying pierce the skies."

His sentiment was shared by many across the country who turned to social media to express sorrow and demand action. Among them was writer Samsur Rahman Adil, who had warned just days earlier of the unpredictability of life in Dhaka.

"Just the day before yesterday, I wrote that unnatural death has been the norm in Dhaka. You won't even know how or when you'll die in this city, seeing the children burned in this way at school sends chills down my spine," he wrote.

As the authorities investigate the cause of the crash, the nation mourns the young lives lost. The tragedy has ignited a reckoning, not only over military flight safety, but over how cities are designed, governed, and protected.

Whether change will follow remains to be seen. For now, Dhaka is left asking how such a tragedy could happen and what must be done to prevent another.