HC orders formation of high-level committee in a week to investigate Diabari jet crash

The High Court has ordered the institution of a high-level committee within seven days to probe the Bangladesh Air Force jet crash that killed and injured scores at Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Diabari area.

The bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Sayed Jahed Mansur issued the directive on Tuesday following the initial hearing of a writ petition.

In its ruling, the court also issued a rule asking why the families of each of the dead should not be given Tk 50 million in compensation and the injured Tk 10 million each, reports bdnews24.com.

The rule also questioned the authorities on why training jets are allowed to fly over densely populated areas, why arrangements for advanced treatment abroad should not be ensured for critically injured victims, and why student identity cards at all institutions should not include emergency contact information and blood group details.

It also raised the issue of installing modern fire safety systems in educational establishments.

The petitioners, Bangladesh Bar Council Vice-Chairman Zainul Abedin and lawyer Anisur Rahman Raihan Biswas, also called for an immediate ban on training and combat aircraft flying over civilian zones, citing grave security risks.

The court noted that the soon-to-be-formed technical committee must submit its findings within 45 days of formation.

Barristers Kaiser Kamal and Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal, along with advocates Siddique Ullah Mia and Maksud Ullah, were present during the hearing.

The writ petition was filed in response to Monday’s disaster, in which a Bangladesh Air Force F-7BGI training jet crashed into the Milestone School and College compound during a routine exercise flight. The resulting inferno killed at least 29 people, most of them children, and injured or burned 69 others, 10 of whom are in critical condition.