After being confined for nearly six hours amid intense student protests, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, Education Adviser CR Abrar, and the Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam managed to leave Milestone School and College in Uttara’s Diabari area through a backdoor exit on Tuesday afternoon, UNB reports.
According to Md Mohidul Islam, Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Uttara Zone), the three officials exited the school compound around 4:00 pm with police assistance, avoiding the front gate which was blocked by agitated students.
The advisers had arrived at the school around 10:00 am to meet with students and school authorities following public outrage over the recent Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) aircraft crash.
Soon after their arrival, hundreds of students began protesting, accusing authorities of spreading misinformation regarding the casualties and demanding a verified list of the deceased and injured, along with compensation for affected families.
As tensions escalated, the advisers and press secretary moved to the conference room of Building No. 5 to hold a dialogue with a small delegation of student representatives.
Despite the closed-door discussions, protests continued outside the building, with students chanting slogans like “Fake! Fake!”
Around 3:15 pm, additional forces from the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), Public Order Management (POM), and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) entered the school to manage the situation.
An initial attempt by the officials to leave via the main gate around 3:30 pm was thwarted when a large group of students blocked the Diabari roundabout, forcing them to retreat.
Eventually, the advisers and the press secretary exited safely through a rear gate with police escort.
Meanwhile, the death toll from Monday`s tragic BAF jet crash rose to 27, as eight more victims died overnight at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) later updated the total number of deaths to 31.
During a briefing at 8:00 am on Tuesday, Dr Sayedur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, confirmed that 78 victims were still undergoing treatment across four hospitals.
Among the deceased were 25 children, one pilot, and one teacher. The bodies of 20 victims have already been handed over to their families.
