Published : 23 Jul 2025, 12:19 PM
Updated : 28 Aug 2026, 01:23 AM
What should have been a morning filled with the cheerful bustle of children turned into a day of unimaginable sorrow.
At Dhaka’s Milestone School and College, parents carried the charred remains of their children to graveyards, while others sat in stunned silence at hospitals, where others fought for their lives.
On Tuesday, as the nation observed a day of mourning after the deadly fighter jet crash, the school compound in Diabari still carried the acrid stench of burning. The air was thick with grief and the anger of students, who took to the streets with six demands, calling for justice and accountability.
While the protests intensified outside the school, where two government advisors and other officials found themselves besieged, clashes erupted nine kilometres away in the capital’s administrative heart.
The area around the Secretariat descended into chaos, with police and demonstrators engaging in pitched confrontations.
The previous day, a Bangladesh Air Force jet had crashed into the school building, killing at least 28 and injuring 68 others -- 10 of them in critical condition, according to the official count.
Condolences poured in from around the world. India, Pakistan, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the European Union were among those to issue statements of sympathy.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi went a step further, offering medical assistance in a message of condolence on Monday. The Indian High Commission in Dhaka followed up with a formal letter, proposing to take in some of the injured for treatment.
India's Ministry of External Affairs later announced that specialist doctors, burn care nurses, and medical equipment would be sent to Bangladesh. The decision came after diplomatic discussions between the two countries’ foreign ministries.
Officials at Dhaka’s Combined Military Hospital (CMH) also confirmed that a team from Singapore was also scheduled to arrive later that night.
Elsewhere, the crisis was triggering political fallout. Amid the chaos at both Milestone School and the Secretariat, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus convened a late-night meeting with leaders from the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), and Islami Andolan.
The parties reiterated their support for Yunus’s interim government and urged authorities to take a firmer hand in restoring order.
TEARFUL FAREWELLS
The crash has become a national tragedy, with stories of heartbreak resonating across the country. The victims included nine-year-old Saima Akter, a third-grade student, as well as her beloved teacher, Maherin Chowdhury.
Another young girl, Tahiya Tabassum Nazia, succumbed to her injuries late Monday night. She had come to Dhaka from Daulatkhan in Bhola. Her younger brother Nafi is still fighting for his life in hospital.
Of the 28 dead, 22 have so far been identified and handed over to their families.
The government said DNA testing would be required to confirm the identities of the remaining six victims, whose bodies were too badly burnt to recognise.
According to Shahadat Hossain, senior information officer at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, samples have been collected from six unidentifiable bodies currently at CMH.
In addition, five sets of remains have undergone autopsies and DNA samples have been extracted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
“We still have six bodies that remain unidentified,” Shahadat said. “We humbly request those searching for missing children or relatives to check the official victim list. If their names are not listed, please visit the CID office in Malibagh and cooperate in providing DNA samples.”
Several of the dead were laid to rest on Tuesday. Among them was Saima, daughter of Shah Alam and Rina Begum from Gazipur’s Biprobotta village. She was buried in the yard of her family home.
Grief filled the air. Rina Begum, overwhelmed by the loss, repeatedly fainted as she cried out: “Every day I took my daughter to school. On Monday, my brother took her. Then I saw on Facebook that a plane had crashed into the school. My daughter had said to me, ‘Mum, I’m going to school, ta-ta!’ That was the last time I heard her voice. She’ll never say it again.”
Saima’s older brother Sabbir, a Milestone School graduate, wept by her grave. “You left me, my sister. We always walked to school together. We shared so much. Why are you so quiet today?”
The funeral of the teacher, Maherin, was equally heart-rending. Having put her life on the line to shield her students from the blast, Maherin’s body was accompanied by her two young children.
She was laid to rest in her ancestral village in Bagulagari, in Nilphamari’s Jaldhaka Upazila. Earlier, a funeral prayer was held at the Gausul Azam Jame Mosque in Uttara.
In another devastating case, Rojoni Akter died while trying to pick up her fifth-grade daughter from school. The daughter, Jumjum, survived and walked her mother to her final journey. Rojoni, a mother of three, was buried in the family cemetery in Daulatpur, Kushtia.
Flight Lieutenant Toukir Islam Sagar, who died when the aircraft crashed during a final training manoeuvre, was buried with state honours in Rajshahi.
Nine-year-old Mehenaz Afri Humaira, also a third-grader, was laid to rest by her father Delwar Hossain, who kissed her coffin before burial.
“She would kiss my forehead every day before going to school,” he said. “Today I kissed her goodbye.” In Sakhhipur’s Hoteya Keranipara village in Tangail, the mood was sombre.
Delwar, an assistant professor of Bangla at Milestone School, and his wife Sumi Akter, both survived the crash.
Elsewhere in Uttara, Fatema Akter, another third-grade student, was mourned by her mother and three siblings. Her father, Bani Amin Sheikh, a migrant worker in Kuwait, rushed home upon hearing the news.
Fatema’s younger brother Omar escaped the crash as he had stayed home with a fever. She was buried in Kunia village of Chitalmari Upazila, Bagerhat.
CLASHES ERUPT NEAR SECRETARIAT
The area surrounding the Secretariat descended into chaos after protesting students stormed the premises on Tuesday.
In the wake of the Monday’s tragedy, students and parents had demanded Tuesday’s HSC exam be postponed, but the official notice came only around 3am, far too late for many who showed up at their exam centres only to be turned away.
The perceived negligence fueled the students’ fury.
They called for the removal of Education Secretary Siddique Zobair and Education Advisor CR Abrar.
By noon, students from several major institutions, including Dhaka College, Dhaka City College, Ideal College, Adamjee Cantonment, and Birshreshtha Munshi Abdur Rouf Public College, gathered outside the Dhaka education board and then marched toward the Secretariat.
Among them were several hundred of HSC examinees, demanding justice, accountability, and resignations.
Initially protesting peacefully in front of Secretariat’s Gate No. 3, students gradually expanded their blockade, forcing the closure of several other gates.
Faced with mounting pressure, the government announced the withdrawal of the education secretary and formed a committee to examine the other demands, according to Apurba Jahangir, the chief advisor’s deputy press secretary.
Clashes began after demonstrators, dissatisfied with only partial acceptance of their demands, broke open Gate 3 and stormed inside.
Law enforcement responded with baton charges, tear gas shells, and multiple stun grenades to disperse students, pushing them out of the compound.
Hours of back-and-forth clashes continued in surrounding areas, particularly around Zero Point and Gulistan, leaving at least 66 students injured and requiring treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
City College student Tanvir, who gave a single name, said: “Exams get postponed in Gopalganj over minor issues, but not after a deadly jet crash in the capital? They finally postponed it at 3am. How would students know by then? Many had already left home in the morning.”
“We hold the education advisor and secretary directly responsible,” he continued. “We won’t stop until they resign.”
Arefin, another protester from Munshi Abdur Rouf College, added: “We’re tired of exam paper errors, administrative apathy, and this cycle of mismanagement. We want systemic reform, and those responsible must step down.”
By late afternoon, students remained scattered across Gulistan and Zero Point.
Though several Secretariat gates were reopened to allow trapped government staff to leave, police once again used force around 5:45pm to clear remaining protesters.
The Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizen Party (NCP), and Hifazat-e Islam have accused the banned Awami League of stirring chaos behind the Milestone and Secretariat protests.
Following the unity commission meeting, Jamaat deputy chief Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher alleged that Awami League-linked groups were trying to exploit the situation. “In the morning, there was disorder at Milestone, and again at the Secretariat.
“Rumours suggest that certain Awami League factions are trying to create confusion.”
Hifazat claimed Awami League “terrorists” are sabotaging events despite the ban on party activities, and called for resistance.
NCP’s Nahid Islam also warned the government against allowing any group to exploit the situation.
He said: “We’ve seen banned Chhatra League members at the Secretariat [on Tuesday]. The Awami League’s social media pages are spreading false narratives.”
BESIEGED ADVISORS
Around 9:45am Tuesday, Law Advisor Asif Nazrul and Education Advisor Abrar arrived at Milestone School for an inspection but were immediately confronted by angry students.
It took more than nine hours before they could leave the premises at 7:30pm, escorted by police through the metro rail depot’s inner road in an unflagged government vehicle.
Chief Advisor’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and three others were also held inside the college throughout the day.
Uttara Division Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Md Mahidul Islam told journalists, “The advisors came to visit the site and hear the students’ demands. Although all demands were accepted, students continued blocking the road, preventing the advisers from leaving.
“Eventually, they were safely escorted out after the area was cleared.”
Milestone students launched protests early in the morning over six demands, including compensation and accountability after the air crash.
Nazrul faced students’ fury immediately upon arrival, with slogans like “fake, fake” directed at him. Protesters also shouted: “We want justice”, and “Why did our brothers die? We demand answers”.
Earlier in the day, the advisors held a closed-door meeting with a delegation of teachers and students. Addressing protesters afterwards, Nazrul announced that all six student demands had been accepted and that the government stood in full agreement with their cause.
Nazrul later met student and teacher representatives alongside Advisor Abrar and the CAO officials.
Emerging from the meeting around 12:30pm, Nazrul said: “I assure you, every one of your demands will be met,” he said, calling them “logical and justified”.
He also issued a public apology on behalf of the government for the alleged misconduct by security forces and promised action.
But moments after his remarks, students surged forward shouting “fraud, fraud”, prompting police to intervene and move the advisors back inside.
The campus remained on high alert through the afternoon as additional platoons of police, APBn, and counterterror units arrived. Students briefly vandalised glass panels in one of the buildings. The advisors were moved to an upper floor for safety.
Around 3:30pm, the two attempted to leave in an unmarked government vehicle under heavy police escort, with riot police forming a protective shield around them. But they had to retreat as students blocked the roundabout just outside the school gates.
They exited around 7:30pm, escorted quietly through an internal road connected to the metro rail depot, after police had cleared the protest area.
The students’ demands include:
• A verified list of the deceased with names and details
• A complete, accurate list of those injured
• A public apology from armed forces personnel accused of assaulting teachers
• Full compensation from the Air Force for families of the deceased
• Retirement of outdated aircraft in favour of modern jets
• Relocation and reform of air force training centres to ensure public safety (edited)
DELAY IN EXAM POSTPONEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT
Following the crash and announcement of a national day of mourning, questions were raised over whether Tuesday’s HSC and equivalent exams would proceed.
In the absence of an official update, students began demonstrating late Monday night, demanding exam suspension and the resignation of the education advisor.
Around 2:41am, a post from the Facebook page of Information Advisor Mahfuj Alam claimed that the exam had been postponed, citing a meeting with Advisor Abrar.
There, however, was still no official word from the education ministry or any board.
Repeated attempts to contact the advisor, ministry officials and board representatives were unsuccessful.
Only at 8am, just two hours before the scheduled start time, did the official notice -- signed by Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee Chairman Khondokar Ehsanul Kabir -- confirm the postponement.
Later, both the CAO and education ministry formally announced that the Jul 24 exam had been postponed as well.
ARMY PROBING ASSAULT ALLEGATION
The Inter-Services Public Relations has said an investigation has been launched into allegations of troops beating up students while controlling the crowd at Milestone School.
Calling the incident “unintentional”, the military’s media wing said administrative action will be taken against those involved if found guilty in the investigation.
In a statement, the ISPR explained that the clash occurred when troops and volunteers attempted to clear “curious crowds” from the crash site to facilitate rescue operations.
“Misunderstandings and arguments” led to “an undesirable incident”, it added.
Earlier, the CAO had already issued a statement “expressing regret” over the reported assault.
AIR CHIEF URGES PUBLIC NOT TO FALL FOR ‘RUMOURS’
Following widespread “rumours” on social media that bodies had been hidden after the crash, Air Force Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan urged people not to believe such claims.
Speaking at the funeral parade of Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam at BAF Base Bashar in Kurmitola, he said: “The chaos at the crash site is very unfortunate. A lot of rumours are circulating. Please don’t fall for them.
“We are updating the public through the ISPR as soon as we receive confirmed information about the casualties.”
"There’s nothing to hide here,” he added. “Who would we even hide it from? You are the people of this country, and so are we. An accident is an accident. We’re doing our utmost to bring the situation fully under control."
Mahmood said the jets in service may be old, but none have exceeded their operational lifetime, and maintenance is carried out “without compromise”.
[Writing in English by Syed Mahmud Onindo and Sheikh Fariha Bristy]
