Milestone Crash: Case Sought Against 16 Officials

An application has been filed before a Dhaka court seeking a case against 16 people, including former interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and former Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, over alleged negligence linked to the deadly military aircraft crash at Milestone School and College in the capital's Uttara area.

The complaint was submitted on Thursday to the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam by Usaimong Marma, father of deceased student Ukya Chaing Marma, who was among those killed in the tragedy.

According to the complainant’s lawyer, AKM Sharif Uddin, the court recorded the plaintiff’s statement and said an order on the matter would be issued later.

The petition accuses the defendants of negligence and administrative failures surrounding the incident that claimed dozens of lives, most of them schoolchildren. Besides Yunus and Asif Nazrul, the application also seeks to include former Environment Adviser Rizwana Hasan, former Education Adviser CR Abrar, former Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, senior defence and education officials, Air Force officers, and administrators of Milestone School and College.

Among the other accused named in the application are former Education Secretary Siddiq Zubayer, the Defence Secretary, Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, Air Vice Marshal Morshed Mohammad Khayer Ul Afsar, Group Captain Rifat Akhtar Jiku, retired Colonel Nurnabi, Principal Mohammad Ziaul Alam, Principal (Administration) Masud Alam, School Principal Rifat Nabi, the chairman of RAJUK, and a field supervisor of the capital development authority in Uttara.

The devastating crash occurred on July 21 last year when a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft slammed into a building on the Milestone campus in Diabari, Uttara, shortly after takeoff. The collision triggered a massive fire, turning the educational institution into a scene of chaos and destruction within moments.

The tragedy left 36 people dead in what was described as one of the deadliest aviation disasters in the country’s history. Most of the victims were students, with at least 28 children losing their lives. The pilot of the aircraft, Flight Lieutenant Md Towkir Islam, was also killed in the crash.

Investigators later submitted an official probe report to the then interim administration on November 5. The report concluded that pilot error during takeoff training was primarily responsible for the crash and the resulting casualties.

The incident shocked the nation and sparked widespread debate over aviation safety, military flight operations near densely populated areas, and emergency preparedness at educational institutions. Families of the victims have continued to demand accountability, justice, and stronger safety measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.