A minister’s vehicle was stopped and fined by traffic police in Dhaka on Thursday morning for driving on the wrong side of the road, in what officials described as an unprecedented action against a vehicle carrying a cabinet member.
The Range Rover, registered as Dhaka Metro-Gha-18-2125, was stopped on Circuit House Road at around 9:08am while heading towards the Secretariat. Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism Rashiduzzaman Millat was inside the vehicle at the time, officials said.
Police filed two cases over the offences and fined Tk 3,000 for each, bringing the total penalty to Tk 6,000. The driver, Arif Hossain, was also sued for reckless driving, a senior official of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police traffic division said.
The vehicle was identified as belonging to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.
Traffic officials said they could not recall any previous instance in Bangladesh where a case had been filed against a minister’s vehicle for driving against traffic.
Vehicles carrying ministers have previously been reported to drive on the wrong side to avoid traffic congestion or reach destinations faster. However, such incidents had not led to legal action, officials said.
The incident drew attention at the Secretariat, where senior police officials said the action showed that traffic laws should apply equally to everyone, regardless of who is travelling in a vehicle.
A senior police official also said the Prime Minister’s motorcade follows traffic rules and obeys traffic signals even while travelling through congested roads.
The official said the action against the minister’s vehicle should send a clear message to senior government officials that they must also comply with traffic laws.
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