Families of Milestone School jet crash victims demand inquiry, compensation

They also call for an end to the coaching business linked to the school

Parents of students killed and injured in the Air Force jet crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara have demanded an inquiry, compensation, justice, and an end to coaching centre businesses linked to the school.

On Tuesday morning, relatives of the deceased and injured students gathered at Diabari Golchattar, held a human chain protest in front of the school campus and demonstrated carrying placards with pictures of the victims.

They condemned the coaching business and called for accountability for the crash that killed 34 and left 69 injured, mostly schoolchildren.

Rubel Mia, father of an eighth grader killed in the crash, spoke on behalf of the parents and outlined nine demands:

• Conduct a fair investigation and ensure justice for the crash victims.
• Shut down coaching businesses across Bangladesh, including those linked to Milestone.
• The government must pay Tk 50 million compensation for every student who died and Tk 10 million for every injured student.
• The school must pay Tk 20 million compensation for every deceased and Tk 10 million for every injured student.
• Relocate the school or the runway to prevent future risks.
• Remove Khadija Akter, headmistress of the school branch and key figure behind the coaching business, within 72 hours and ensure her prosecution.
• Provide access to the school’s CCTV footage from the day of the crash.
• Move air force training to unpopulated areas.
• Remove a teacher named Konok, who allegedly assaulted a parent during the protest.
• Rubel said the school’s CCTV footage from the day of the crash has been concealed.

“Every classroom has cameras, but the footage hasn’t been made public. We don’t have exact information on how many children died. I did not get to see my son alive. I took his body from the burn unit. If we get the footage, I want to see how he left the school.”

He stressed that Air Force training should not be conducted in densely populated areas.

He also alleged that coaching was made mandatory at Milestone, with the school pressuring guardians by phone and threatening to send students to another institution owned by the same management if they refused.

On separate compensation claims from the government and school management, Rubel said: “The government is as responsible as the school authority. That’s why separate compensation demands have been made.”