The government has formed a nine-member inquiry commission to investigate last week’s fatal air force fighter jet crash into Milestone School and College in Uttara, which left at least 34 people dead, most of them students.
According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, the commission, formed on Sunday night, will be led by former secretary AKM Zafar Ullah Khan and has been asked to submit its findings in next four weeks.
The commission has been tasked with determining the cause of the crash, assessing casualties and property damage, and identifying those responsible.
It is empowered to visit any location across the country and summon or question any individual as part of the investigation.
In addition to examining the technical and human factors behind the crash, the commission will assess the design, structure, and legality of Milestone School and College and other buildings near the airport, review the legal and administrative framework related to the airport’s flying zone, make recommendations for preventing similar incidents in the future, evaluate the sufficiency of emergency response protocols during such catastrophic events, and provide suggestions on training aircraft operations and building regulations in aviation-sensitive zones.
The commission includes a retired Air Vice Marshal, three additional secretaries from three ministries, the Divisional Commissioner of Dhaka, a BUET professor from the mechanical engineering department, and an urban planner.
It will operate under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1956, with secretarial support provided by the office of the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner.
The tragic crash occurred on July 21, when a Bangladesh Air Force jet crashed into a two-storey building of Milestone School and College. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has confirmed that at least 34 people, mostly students, lost their lives in the incident.
