Advisers, Press Secretary leave Milestone campus after 9hrs of confinement

After being confined for over nine hours by protesting students, two top advisers to the interim government and the Chief Adviser’s press secretary were finally escorted out of Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Uttara on Tuesday evening under tight police protection.

Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, Education Adviser Dr Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, and Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam entered the campus around 10:30am to speak with students following Monday’s deadly military aircraft crash that killed at least 31 people and injured 165, most of them schoolchildren.

However, the officials were surrounded and blocked from exiting by angry students demanding transparency and accountability from the state.

The standoff culminated around 7:34 pm when the three officials left the college premises in a convoy, escorted by law enforcement. Their vehicles exited through the main gate and passed through the Diabari Metro Rail depot area.

Earlier in the day, the officials had attempted to leave the campus around 3:30 pm but were stopped by students who had regrouped at Diabari intersection.

Protesters shouted slogans demanding the resignation of the two advisers and accused the government of concealing the true extent of the tragedy.

Forced to retreat, the officials returned to Academic Building No. 7, where they remained confined until their eventual departure in the evening.

A significant number of police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and intelligence personnel were deployed both inside and outside the college compound throughout the day.

Police were stationed in front of Academic Buildings 5 and 7, while plainclothes agents moved actively on campus.

Protest Timeline

The protest was triggered by the crash of a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft into a Milestone College building on Monday, causing mass casualties.

Survivors and families allege that military personnel mistreated teachers and parents during rescue efforts.

By Tuesday morning, students began gathering for a sit-in at the college, despite an earlier public announcement from the nearby Diabari Army Camp that banned public assemblies or demonstrations in the area.

Ignoring the directive, students staged a protest outside the campus starting at 9:30 am.

Advisers Asif Nazrul and CR Abrar, along with Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, arrived shortly after. During an initial meeting, they assured student representatives that all six of their demands would be met.

The students’ six-point demand includes

Full disclosure of the names and identities of the deceased;

An accurate list of the injured;

Compensation for every affected family;

Replacement of outdated, risky aircraft with modern and safe alternatives;

Reform of the Air Force’s training systems and safety protocols;

A public apology from the military for the alleged physical assault on teachers during rescue efforts.

Speaking to the press around 1:00 pm, Asif Nazrul called the demands “entirely reasonable” and assured students that the government would address every point.

“We are here not just as officials, but also as guardians who care,” he said.

Despite this, the students continued their protest, accusing the government of trying to pacify them without concrete action. As tensions rose, the officials again retreated inside the campus buildings.

By mid-afternoon, their motorcade made another attempt to leave but was again blocked at Diabari intersection, where students had resumed demonstrations. Slogans demanding the advisers' resignation echoed through the area, forcing the convoy to return once more to Milestone campus.

Their eventual departure just after 7:30 pm marked the end of a long day of standoff—but not the end of the protest. Students have vowed to continue their movement until all demands are met and justice is ensured for those killed and injured in the crash.