Families of the victims of the Milestone School aircraft crash in Dhaka’s Uttara have formally rejected the government’s compensation, accusing authorities of breaking promises.
Families of those killed in the educational institution held a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Thursday.
Calling the law adviser a “fraud” they demanded justice for the tragedy that struck on 21 July last year. They blamed mistakes by the pilot, negligence in aircraft maintenance, and violations of building codes by the school authorities for the disaster. They also presented five key demands.
The demands include ensuring punishment for those responsible for the pilot’s error and violation of building codes; recovering alleged embezzled funds amounting to Tk3,000 crore by former Air Chief Marshal Sheikh Abdul Hannan (retd) to provide compensation; awarding compensation as per the High Court’s directives to secure the future of the victims’ families; granting “martyr” status, certificates, and erecting memorials in memory of the deceased; declaring 21 July as “National Education Mourning Day,” constructing a modern mosque complex in Uttara, and maintaining permanent graves; and providing adequate rehabilitation for the affected families.
During the conference, participants highlighted that widespread corruption in the Air Force budget from 2021 to 2024 hindered proper aircraft maintenance and modern training. Families insist this corruption contributed directly to the loss of 36 lives and injuries to 172 people. They also pointed to the school’s building code violations as a factor that exacerbated the tragedy.
The families rejected a government announcement made on 11 December by the Chief Adviser’s press secretary, offering Tk20 lakh for the deceased and Tk5 lakh for the injured, formally declining it on 14 December. They also dismissed reports on 29 December of possible Tk1 crore compensation, insisting that precise legal justice must come first.
They added that the previously filed High Court petition (No. 11842/2025) and verbal promises from the advisers remain unfulfilled.
The families have submitted a memorandum to various political parties and offices, urging urgent administrative intervention to ensure justice and peace for the departed souls.
The tragedy occurred on 21 July 2025, when a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed onto the Milestone School and College campus in Diabari, killing 36 people, including students, teachers, and guardians, and injuring 172 others.
