The Milestone Jet Crash Tragedy on Monday has triggered fresh protests in Bangladesh. Students from Milestone School and College and several other cities initiated a series of protests on Tuesday demanding accountability for those involved and compensation for the victims. The death toll from the jet crash has climbed to 32.
The protesters have placed a six-point agenda in front of the authorities which included a complete overhaul of training methods used by the Air Force to train its pilots and decommissioning of old aircraft. Others demands include a full disclosure of the names and identities of the deceased and injured and an unconditional apology from military personnel who allegedly assaulted teachers.
Clashes between protesters and the Police
Students from the Milestone School and College and other educational institutions nearby held a protest as two government officials visited the crash site. The protesters chanted, “Why did our brothers die? We demand answers!” Slogans such as “Shame, shame!” and “Fake advisers must go!” were also raised.
The protests turned violent in another part of Dhaka as hundreds of students broke through the gates of the Secretariat, the headquarter of the Bangladesh Government. The protesters demanded the resignation of the adviser to the Education Ministry.
The Police resorted to firing tear gas shells to disperse the protesters, injuring dozens. The number of those injured is estimated to be 80.
Protests in other regions of Bangladesh
Major protests broke out in other parts of Bangladesh as well. In at least 5 divisions, Chittagong, Comilla, Sylhet, Dinajpur and Jessore, students locked the gates of regional education board offices demanding the resignation of Adviser CR Abrar.
The student protesters also blockaded major roads in these regions. In Jessore, the protesters submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner’s office after laying a siege on it.
Bangladesh has become the land of protests since the coup against Sheikh Hasina
As reported earlier by ForPol, there has been a massive outbreak of public protests in Bangladesh since the coup against the government led by Sheikh Hasina. These protests have had a crippling effect on its economy.
The protests have impacted productivity across major economic sectors. There had been more than 500 protests in Dhaka alone by May this year since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. These protests have frustrated the interim government a great deal as they remained unsuccessful in containing a lot of them.
