A human chain program was held to demand a proper investigation and justice for the families of those killed in the Uttara Milestone accident, along with the closure of illegal coaching businesses in the name of education across the country.
Families and relatives of those killed in the crash of a fighter jet on the Milestone School and College campus have warned of a bigger movement if the investigation is delayed, the culprits are not brought to justice, and their demands are not implemented promptly.
They issued the warning in the course of the human chain in before the school at 7am on Tuesday, pressing an eight-point demand.
Participants in the human chain urged swift action to complete the investigation and bring those responsible for the tragedy to trial, cautioning that failure to meet their demands could lead to intensified protests. On behalf of the family, the uncle of deceased Fatema Akter, Leon Mir, presented the eight-point demands.
The demands include:
- A proper investigation into the incident and ensuring justice
- Stopping the coaching business in all educational institutions across the country, including Milestone School
- Relocating educational institutions away from runways
- Providing compensation for the dead and injured
- Removal and trial of head teacher Khadija within 72 hours
- Revealing the contents of the school’s CCTV footage
- Moving Air Force training to uninhabited areas
In addition, a ninth demand was made— the teacher who physically assaulted Saima’s father must be brought under the law and removed from the school. The protesters said that after 72 hours, they would again hold a human chain and protest program at the same place.
Speakers at the human chain alleged that since the accident, the school authorities had been pressuring parents to remain silent and many were being directly or indirectly threatened.
Leon Mir said: “We have lost our children, but the government has not yet contacted us. The school authorities are only contacting us to save the institution. They are taking signatures from parents and collecting personal information of the families of the deceased—such as the number of family members, professions, and educational institutions. Why are they taking this information?”
He further said: “Our children came here to study and were supposed to return home safely. But a fighter jet came and burned them. If the runway remains here, then the school must be relocated. And if the school stays, then the runway must be relocated.”
Leon Mir also said: “We are being threatened. I was told: ‘Why are you speaking so much? You have another child, that child will be taken away—then what will you do?’ If any member of my family is harmed, the school authorities will bear full responsibility. I want my brothers and sisters in the media to know this.”
The father of deceased Tamim said: “My son Tamim was an eighth-grade English version student. The school’s founder, Nur Nabi, has sucked our blood and amassed assets worth thousands of crores of taka. If we were even one day late in paying tuition fees, an automatic message would come to our mobile phones. But now, in these 20 days, not once has he inquired about any family. If our demands are not met, we will launch an even stronger movement. We will turn grief into strength and continue our protest with determination. Through you, I want to tell the chief adviser—our demands must be accepted and he must stand beside us.”
When asked why he had not made these allegations earlier, he said: “Who would have listened even if I had spoken before? Today my child is dead, yet no one is listening to us. Who will take responsibility for this?”
Eighth-grade student Tasnia Akter said: “Coaching must be stopped. In the name of coaching, children are kept confined. If they do not attend for three days, they are threatened with suspension, and they have to pay fines as well. Why is this the situation?”
Umme Tamima Akter, mother of Mariam Umme Afia, a third-grade ‘Sky’ section student who was killed, said: “We found my daughter at CMH four days after the accident. Before that, we searched countless times at CMH, Dhaka Medical, and other hospitals, but could not find her. On the fourth day when we found her, the entire portion above the knee was missing—only the lower part of the leg was somewhat intact. If those responsible for this accident are not punished, where will we go? I sent my daughter to school for education; I never thought she would return as a corpse. Measures must be taken so that no other mother loses her child like I did.”
When asked about the human chain, lecturer Russell Mallik said: “I heard that relatives of the deceased and injured held a human chain outside the institution today. We were so busy with classes that we did not have the opportunity to go there or speak.”
Regarding the behaviour of teachers with guardians, he said: “I am not aware of this matter.”
On the issue of relocating the school, he said: “The matter is still under investigation. The authority to make decisions rests with the government.”