Staff Reporter :
Tensions escalated at Milestone School and College in Uttara on Tuesday as hundreds of students staged a protest, clashing with police and physically preventing two senior government advisers – Education Adviser Professor C R Abrar and Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul – from leaving the campus.
The officials had been visiting the school to address the aftermath of Monday’s fatal plane crash, which killed 31 people.
However, they managed to leave the college premises at 7:33 pm yesterday under tight security.
The advisers, accompanied by the Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, attempted to depart the campus at approximately 3:25 p.m. under heavy police escort.
However, they were forced to return to the premises after demonstrators blocked their convoy near the adjacent MRT-6 depot.
The officials had arrived at the campus around 10:30 a.m. for a series of closed-door meetings with school administrators, teachers, and a select group of student representatives.
As news of their presence spread, large crowds of students gathered around Building 5, chanting slogans such as “Bhua! Bhua!” (“Fake! Fake!”), accusing the government of negligence and a lack of transparency.
By 2:13 p.m., the protest had intensified. Some demonstrators clashed with police officers stationed outside the meeting venue, using sticks and bricks in what they described as retaliation against officials “protecting the responsible parties.”
Police withdrew briefly as students took control of the area surrounding the building.
Journalists attempting to cover the meetings were denied access to the campus. Protesters criticised mainstream media outlets for allegedly downplaying the scale of the tragedy and withholding the true death toll.
“You’re not telling the truth. You’re protecting the criminals,” one student shouted at reporters gathered near the gate.
Following brief remarks by the government representatives – who pledged to meet the students’ demands – the protesters initially dispersed to the outer perimeter of the campus around 2:40 p.m. A large contingent of security forces, estimated at over 300 personnel, then entered the school grounds.
Around 3:00 p.m., the advisers once again attempted to leave. However, near the MRT-6 depot just outside the school, the convoy was again surrounded by protesters and forced to turn back.
The advisers remained within the campus until they were finally escorted out at 7:33 p.m. under enhanced security measures.
Addressing students earlier in the day, Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul, speaking through a handheld microphone, said: “We fully agree with your demands. They are entirely reasonable.
On behalf of the government, I assure you that your demands will be addressed. We are here as guardians to show our sympathy.”
Despite these assurances, students expressed doubt and frustration.
“We are done with words. We want resignations.
We want accountability,” said one HSC candidate. “They only came here because we rose up.”
The situation at Milestone School and College remains tense, as the protest movement – sparked by Monday’s aircraft crash and the abrupt postponement of HSC examinations – continues to gain momentum.
The students’ growing mistrust of officials and concerns about broader political interference have further complicated efforts to ease the unrest.
These developments follow earlier clashes on Tuesday outside the Secretariat in Dhaka, where students confronted police in a separate protest.
Allegations have also emerged that members of the ousted Awami League and its now-banned student wing, Chhatra League, may be attempting to exploit the unrest to destabilise the political environment.
