Minister’s vehicle fined for wrong-side driving

Traffic police on Thursday filed two cases against a vehicle carrying Minister Rashiduzzaman Millat after it was stopped for driving on the wrong side of Circuit House Road in the capital.

The Range Rover, bearing registration number Dhaka Metro-Gha-18-2125, was intercepted at around 9:08am while heading towards the Secretariat against the designated flow of traffic, 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, with Minister Rashiduzzaman Millat inside when traffic police stopped it, officials said.

The driver, Arif Hossain, was sued for reckless driving, according to the police official.

Police imposed a fine of Tk 3,000 for each of the two offences, bringing the total penalty to Tk 6,000, the official said.

The action was described by traffic officials as unprecedented, as they could not recall any previous instance in Bangladesh in which a case had been filed against a minister’s vehicle for driving on the wrong side of the road.

Officials said there had previously been reports of vehicles carrying ministers driving against traffic to avoid congestion or reach destinations quickly. However, such incidents had not resulted in cases.

The incident triggered discussion at the Secretariat, with senior police officials saying the action demonstrated that traffic laws should apply equally to everyone, irrespective of the status of passengers in a vehicle.

A senior police official said the Prime Minister’s motorcade was following traffic rules and obeying signals while travelling through congested roads.

The official said the case against the minister’s vehicle should send a message to senior government officials about the need to comply with traffic laws.

Wrong-side driving remains a recurring traffic violation in Dhaka, with officials saying vehicles carrying senior officials had previously been reported to travel against traffic to bypass congestion.

Such incidents, however, had not previously led to cases involving a minister’s vehicle, according to traffic officials.