Families Demand Accountability and Justice One Year After Fatal Dhaka Plane Crash
One year after a military training aircraft crashed into a campus of the Milestone School and College in Dhaka, grieving families continue to demand accountability and justice. The tragedy, which occurred on July 21 of last year, claimed the lives of 35 people, including 28 students, three teachers, three guardians, one staff member, and the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md. Toukir Islam.
For parents like Bithi Akhter, whose third-grade son Borhan Uddin Bappi died a day after the crash, the anniversary serves as a painful reminder of the systemic failures that led to the disaster. Survivors and victims' families report that despite the passage of a year, they have received neither adequate compensation nor a sense of closure, describing the government’s proposed financial support as insufficient and lacking in genuine empathy.
An official investigation commission, established by the interim government shortly after the crash, submitted its findings in November. The report identified pilot error as the primary cause of the accident but also highlighted severe safety violations by the educational institution. Investigators found that the school building lacked necessary fire safety infrastructure, including a mandatory secondary staircase, which could have significantly reduced the casualty count had it been compliant with building codes. Furthermore, the Bangladesh Institute of Planners noted that the school, while technically authorized, was situated within the flight path of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, raising critical concerns about the placement of high-density institutions in aviation approach zones.
The physical and psychological toll on the survivors remains profound. Students like Navid Nawaz Dipta endured months of intensive care and dozens of surgeries, while others, such as Rupi Barua, struggle with permanent disfigurement and the trauma of being forced to attend school on the day of the disaster. Many survivors require ongoing medical care and psychiatric support, placing an immense burden on families.
While the Secondary and Higher Education Division announced an offer of compensation—2 million taka for the families of the deceased and 500,000 taka for the injured—many families have rejected the funds. They argue that the amount does not reflect the magnitude of their loss and maintain that their priority is a transparent legal process that holds those responsible for the safety lapses accountable.
Currently, two separate writs are pending before the High Court, seeking to compel the release of the full investigative report and secure fair compensation through legal channels. Despite efforts by the school administration to provide free tuition and physical therapy to the survivors, families remain resolute in their pursuit of justice, questioning the accountability of both the aviation authorities and the institution that housed their children in an unsafe environment.
