Milestone Aircraft Crash
Court Rejects Case Against Dr. Yunus, 16 Others
File Photo
A court has rejected a case application filed against former Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus and 16 others over allegations of deaths caused by negligence in the aircraft crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara in the capital.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam passed the order today, Thursday. Earlier in the morning, Usaimong Marma, father of deceased student Ukya Chaing Marma, filed the application as the complainant. The court later recorded the complainant’s statement.
Other notable accused named in the case application include Bangladesh Chief of Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, former adviser Asif Nazrul, former adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, former adviser CR Abrar, and former Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.
The application also named former Education Ministry Secretary Siddiq Zobayer, the Defense Ministry Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Morshed Mohammad Khair Ul Afsar, Group Captain Rifat Akhtar Ziku, Milestone School and College governing body adviser Nur Nabi (Retd. Colonel), Principal Mohammad Ziaul Alam, Principal (Administration) Masud Alam, School Branch Principal Rifat Nabi, the RAJUK chairman, and RAJUK’s field supervisor (Uttara) as accused.
According to the case application, the complainant Usaimong Marma’s son died in the aircraft crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara on July 21, 2025. Witness Ashraful Islam also lost his two children in the incident, leaving him childless.
The application states that witnesses Md. Rezaul Karim and Muhammad Abdul Samad each lost one child in the crash. As a result, the witnesses permanently lost their future heirs. The application describes the incident as an irreparable loss for the complainant and the witnesses’ families. It claims that neither the complainant nor the witnesses bore any responsibility or fault for the incident. The crash also left more than 200 men, women, and children seriously injured. Many became permanently disabled. It says injured and disabled children who were once cheerful have now become a burden on their families and a source of distress.
The application further states that if a child becomes disabled, physically impaired, or suffers brain deformities, the family must carry that burden for life. It describes the crash as a source of irreparable damage for surviving disabled children and their families. It also claims that neither the deceased and injured victims nor their families committed any wrongdoing, crime, or fault that led to the losses.
The application alleges that the accused failed to properly discharge their responsibilities, causing nearly 200 ordinary students, including the complainant’s and witnesses’ children, to suffer harm. It claims the aircraft crashed because of negligence in carrying out duties and alleges that the accused are individually and jointly responsible for the incident.
Although authorities announced compensation of up to Tk 50 million for families of the deceased and compensation at fixed rates for the injured, the application claims that no affected individual or family has yet received any compensation. It alleges that the authorities committed criminal breach of trust by publicly promising compensation but failing to provide any.
The application further alleges that the accused failed to properly carry out their state-assigned responsibilities. It claims they allowed training flights of mechanically faulty F-7 fighter jets over densely populated areas of Dhaka without considering safety risks. It claims that this negligence caused the catastrophic crash and massive loss of life.
The application also accuses the authorities of negligence after the crash, failing to fulfill public promises of compensation, and creating confusion among the public. It further alleges that authorities allowed schools and colleges to operate in unsuitable and risky buildings and permitted educational activities in unfit structures, contributing to the large number of casualties.
The application states that authorities neither identified nor brought those responsible for the crash to justice and failed to take effective measures for compensation and rehabilitation of victims. It also alleges that negligence in treatment, rescue operations, and necessary directives for injured students, teachers, and staff left many children permanently disabled.
