Milestone School and College students, their parents and alumni, as well as other people, on Tuesday staged demonstrations on and outside the campus throughout the day, alleging that the members of the security forces were concealing the bodies and hiding the actual number of deaths in Monday鈥檚 Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet crash.
The BAF jet that crashed into the school left at least 31 people, mostly students, killed and 165 others injured, according to official data.
The officials recorded the missing of two individuals so far, according to the data.
The protesting students, however, alleged that over 100 were killed in the jet crash on the spot.
The government, however, denied the allegation and said that 20 people were killed on the spot.
The protesting students kept law adviser Asif Nazrul, education adviser CR Abrar, chief adviser鈥檚 press secretary Shafiqul Alam, deputy press secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder and senior assistant press secretary Foyez Ahammad confined on the campus on Tuesday, demanding that the government should disclose the actual number of deaths in the accident.
They were kept confined for over nine hours since 10:45am, and chase and counter chase occurred between the students and the police many times during the confinement.
The chief adviser鈥檚 senior assistant press secretary, Foyez Ahammad, said that they left the campus at about 7:30pm.
The students also placed a six-point demand to the government.
Their demands include an accurate list of the deceased individuals, a complete and accurate list of injured persons, offering unconditional apology by the Army personnel for harassing students, compensation from the BAF to all families of the deceased people, replacing modern aircraft by scrapping risky and old ones, changing the BAF training method and centre and making it safer.
The students began their protests outside the campus at about 8:00am, alleging that the security forces had concealed the victims鈥� bodies in the midnight, hours after the completion of their rescue operations.
The protests flared inside and outside the campus when law adviser Asif Nazrul and education adviser CR Abrar came to visit the campus at about 10:40am on Tuesday.
The students chanted slogans against the authorities when Asif Nazrul and CR Abrar arrived there.
The students also threw brick bats, water bottles and shoes on them and, at one point, threw brick bats indiscriminately on the police and journalists that left three injured.
Mahin Hossain, a Class XI student, wanted to know the reasons of entering ambulance and Army members on the campus after the declaration of the end of rescue operations.
鈥楾hey have taken away bodies and parts of bodies to hide the actual number of deaths,鈥� he alleged.
听
He also alleged that the security forces beat the protesting students and teachers.
Mohaiminul Islam Siam, a Higher Secondary Certificate examinee from the school, alleged that the Army personnel charged batons on teachers and students without any reason.
鈥榃e came out of the hostel after sensing the entry of ambulances on the campus for concealing the bodies,鈥� he claimed.
听While addressing the student gathering at about 12:45pm, law adviser Asif Nazrul offered an apology on behalf of the government as members of the security forces misbehaved with students.
He said that all demands of the students would be accepted and the government would publish the exact number of deaths and injured people.
鈥楢 control room will be set up here. Updates will be given every hour,鈥� he added.
No control room was set up on the campus till 6:00pm while teachers claimed that they could not set up a control room due to the chaos centering the confinement of advisers.
The Inter Services Public Relation Directorate, in a statement on Tuesday, said that a huge number of curious people created a jam-packed crowd, which hampered the evacuation and rescue operations time and again.
The ISPR said that 14 army personnel were injured while working in the rescue operations and they were undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital.
The ISPR said that a misunderstanding occurred between a group of curious people, volunteers and army members, which triggered an untoward incident.
It also said that the Bangladesh Army started investigating the incident with utmost priority.
鈥楢dministrative actions would be taken against those found guilty in the investigation,鈥� it added.
