The Milestone College Tragedy: The Impact of the Devastating Airplane Crash

The jet plane that crashed at the Milestone school premises. Photo credit: Mehedi Hasan/TBS

The Moment of Disaster

The daily routine of Dhaka’s Uttara neighbourhood was disrupted on Monday afternoon, 21st July 2025. The incident happened in Milestone School and College, where thousands of students were preparing for their afternoon classes and others were ready to go home. However, in less than ten minutes, the daily lives of these young ones were charred into ashes. An educational institute that turned into a national graveyard.

The tragic disaster was caused by a Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) training jet that crashed into one of the buildings of the school. Till now, it is estimated that at least 36 people lost their lives, among them were many young children, teachers and staff. About 170 people and children were severely injured, causing many to be rushed to emergency units to treat their burn injuries. This fiery catastrophe was not simply an accident, but soon exposed the flaws in the nation’s urban planning and aviation protocols.

The Crisis Point

Approximately at 1:06 PM BST, the fiery reckoning that led to the disaster started six minutes before the impact. The brutal timeline involves the aircraft, ‘Chengdu FT-7BGI’, a version of the Soviet era MiG-21, which was Chinese-built. Flight Lieutenant Md Towkir Islam, the young pilot officer, took off in the jet plane for its training routine from the BAF Base Bir Uttom A. K. Khandker in Kurmitola.

Infographic of the 'Chengdu FT-7BGI' Jet. Source: AiTelly

Later, after the incident, the  Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), their official military report states that there was a “technical malfunction” in the engine of the jet right after its takeoff. This high-stakes situation caused Flight Lieutenant Md Towkir Islam to act in mere seconds and decide how to descend the aircraft.

Several eyewitnesses and investigations, including the ISPR, confirmed that the pilot made an effort to bring the machine failure under control and divert the aircraft away, but failed to do so regardless. The jet ended up losing its momentum and spiralled downwards towards the densely populated area in Dhaka. 

Infographic on the Milestone Jet Crash. Source: AiTelly

At approximately 1:12 PM, despite the pilot’s effort, the trajectory of the fuming jet ended up crashing into the ‘Ali Haider Building’, the primary school building on the Milestone College campus in Diabari, Uttara. Witnesses stated that the devastating impact of the jet entered from one side of the building and exited on the other side, causing the two-story building structure to collapse. The situation escalated further as the crash erupted in a massive explosion, which caused the jet fuel fire to spread to a large portion of the school.

Emergency services rushed to save the primary school students who were severely injured and trapped inside the burning wreckage. Around nine firefighting units were trying to bring the situation under control however, the extreme heat from the jet fuel fire made the rescue mission difficult and slow. Flight Lieutenant Md Towkir Islam was announced dead shortly after being rushed to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

The Wreckage and The School

Emotional Aftermath and Trauma

Hours after the incident, the situation got more horrifying at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS). Inside the institute, many parents were desperately looking for their child and upon getting updates, they cried hysterically. The children, teachers, staff and guardians who lost their lives brutally were the hopes and future of this nation. Among the casualties, 28 of them were primary school students, three were parents, and one of them was a staff member.

Ashraful Islam, father of deceased Nazia and Nafi, said that the world has seen the pieces of their hearts burn to ashes in the fire. The beautiful, innocent faces of their children are now in the grave. He demands that the state must take responsibility for such an inhuman tragedy. It must be investigated and uncovered. 

Deceased Samiul Karim’s father, Rezaul Karim Shamim, mentions how he and his family are still in shock. He was waiting at the school to pick up his son and then the plane crashed. He is traumatised and said, “I have seen doomsday with my own eyes.”

Jhorna Akhter, the mother of a third grader, Junaid, survived but suffered from severe burns. As she wept, she talked about the memory of how one moment her son was playing in the field and then in the blink of an eye the whole scenario changed. She, along with many other parents, expressed their helplessness as they watched their children fight for their lives in the burn unit.

A tenth-grade student, Farhan Hasan, who survived, talks about how he finished his exam and saw the crash happen right in front of his eyes. He states, “The burning plane was hitting the building right in front of my eyes. My best friend, the one I was in the exam hall with, died right in front of my eyes.”

The Fault in the System

The Milestone College Tragedy raises many questions regarding the governmental oversight. The Chinese-made F-7 aircraft is widely known for its history of accidents worldwide. People expressed their concerns regarding the safety and maintenance of such fighter jets by the Air Force and the government. Later investigations revealed that the Air Force officials dismissed around 168 findings and issued 33 recommendations, raising more concerns about their attention to safety protocols. Furthermore, there is a need to relocate any sort of primary Air Force flight training outside of Dhaka to ensure safety.

Another root cause for this disaster to occur is the shortage of aircraft in the Air Force inventory. The report addresses such issues and also urged the Civil Aviation Authority to maintain a height restriction strictly. Additionally, it is stated that the construction of a school, hospital or a warehouse should be highly prohibited within the take-off and landing area of an airport to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again.

The issue does not lie only in the national aviation policies but also in the school building itself. After the investigation, it was discovered that the Ali Haider Building of Milestone College violates the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC). The minimum requirement according to the coded mandate is to have three stairways for a building that size, but it only had one staircase. During the chaos, as the fire spread more rapidly, it ended up trapping the students and also became a bottleneck for the emergency service. Many are now criticising how, if the building had proper safety regulations, many lives could have been saved. 

Serious questions were raised about why the military air base was operating in such a densely populated city. This catastrophic incident is a tragic eye-opening problem that Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), the Dhaka development authority, should look into and enforce better zoning and building regulations. People are demanding the need for stricter compliance with the BNBC in newly developed areas. 

The parents of the victims have stated eight demands that include how this loss serves as a warning and a need for serious governmental reform and better urban development. The negligence of a proper infrastructure and the lack of maintenance of an old fighter jet is what resulted in sparking such a painful incident. The whole nation grieves for the loss of such brilliant children, and the parents of Milestone School, who are left with scars of sacrificing their loved ones for the faults that exist in the system.

Reference:

AiTelly. (2025, July 22). Bangladesh jet crash how it happened? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHBhdzHTFy4 

Al Jazeera. (2025, July 21). Bangladesh Air Force plane crashes into college campus, killing at least 19. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/21/bangladesh-air-force-plane-crashes-into-college-campus-killing-at-least-19 

Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). (2025, July 24). Govt publishes names of casualties in jet crash. https://www.bssnews.net/news-flash/295805 

Bhuiyan, A. (2025, July 21). Students, teachers recount horror of jet crash at Milestone School and College. Dhaka Tribune. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/387005/milestone-college-air-crash-voices-from-scene 

Biswas, S. (2025b, July 26). Dhaka crash: “A sound I’ve never heard - then the jet flew over my head.” https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp90d9mkz9xo 

CBS News. (2025, July 23). Bangladesh plane crash near Dhaka school: Death toll update, protest erupts. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bangladesh-plane-crash-dhaka-school-death-toll-protest/ 

CNN-News18. (2025, July 21). Bangladesh plane crash: 16 killed, many injured after Air Force jet crashes into Dhaka school | N18G [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQzTbtV8l_s

Ewe, K. (2025, July 22). What we know about the deadly Bangladesh jet crash into a school. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp90d9mkz9xo 

Prothom Alo. (2025, July 21). Air Force jet crash in Uttara: Casualty reports and investigation begins. https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/xpsed3340h 

Sharmin, S. A. (2025, September 23). Families of Milestone plane crash victims place eight-point demand. Dhaka Tribune. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/392235/families-of-milestone-plane-crash-victims-place 

The Business Standard (TBS). (2025, July 24). Parents of Milestone tragedy victims present 8 demands, call for school relocation. https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/parents-milestone-tragedy-victims-present-8-demands-call-school-relocation-1210431 

The Daily Star. (2025, July 22). What led to the Milestone tragedy. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/what-led-the-milestone-tragedy-3945421 

The Financial Express. (2025, July 22). The Milestone Tragedy [Editorial]. https://today.thefinancialexpress.com.bd/editorial/the-milestone-tragedy-1753714149 

An overview of Nobo Jatra’s impact on agriculture & livelihood

An overview of Nobo Jatra’s impact on agriculture & livelihood

Observation of climate-smart agriculture producer's group at their demonstration fields.
Location: Joynagar, Tildanga, Dacope, Khulna

Climate change poses a serious threat to Bangladesh's highly populated coastal area. Salt intrusion is worsened by rising sea levels, which are exacerbated by repeated droughts. At the same time, the chance of flooding rises due to the monsoon season. Flooding has the potential to harm crops and sabotage harvests. To put it another way, there is a pressing need to adapt current agricultural practices to these shifting conditions. Coastal Bangladeshi communities' food security will be jeopardized if this does not happen. Salinity is one of the primary concerns in Bangladesh's coastal area, and it is expected to rise over time owing to a variety of factors, including climate change.

This has a direct impact on livelihoods, as agriculture is the primary source of income for 85 percent of people in the coastal zone (World Bank, 2016). Agriculture productivity is further hampered by waterlogging and salinity, which has ramifications for impoverished households' food security and livelihoods. Only 0.7 percent of households use sustainable Natural Resource Management (NRM) practices and/or technologies, while 19.7% of households produce vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables, 24.1 percent of farmers engaged in value chain activities, 12.9 percent have access to agricultural and livestock extension services from the Government of Bangladesh, and 19.7% of households produce vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables.

"Nobo Jatra-New Beginning" is a five-year USAID Food for Peace Title II Development Food Security Activity led by World Vision Bangladesh, in collaboration with the World Food Programme and Windrock International, and implemented in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh's Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) (GOB). Over 850,000 people are involved in this five-year project, which spans four sub-districts and 40 separate unions.

Its mission is to promote food security, nutrition, and resilience of vulnerable people in Bangladesh's Khulna and Satkhira districts. The goal of Nobo Jatra is to promote equitable household income and gender equity in people, households, communities, and systems' abilities to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from environmental shocks and stresses.

Nobo Jatra enhanced the capacities of local farmers and producers as lead and sub-lead farmers to increase the resilience of poor and extremely poor families. Nobo Jatra trains lead and sub-lead farmers on numerous saline tolerant, nutritious, and market-driven crop varieties in collaboration with agriculture input businesses (private sector) such as AR Malik, Lal Teer, Syngenta Ltd., and market actors (dealers, merchants, mobile seed sellers). Farmers’ extension services, led by lead and sub-lead farmers, have been established, resulting in the provision of embedded knowledge on Climate Smart Agriculture, such as crop diversification, crop rotation, and the promotion of high-quality seed that is high yielding, salient tolerant, and short maturing, among other things.

Nobo Jatra is promoting composting and mulching to maintain soil moisture in extreme saline and water-logged areas, vertical garden technologies (towards the garden, bag gardens, pocket garden) to overcome extreme salinity and water-logging, and pitcher irrigation as a drip irrigation technique for careful use of fresh water in extreme saline and water-logged areas.

Nobo Jatra Project has built collaborations and links between lead and sub-lead farmers with the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Department of Fisheries (DoF), and Department of Livestock (DoL) to ensure continued access to climate-wise agriculture techniques and extension services (DLS). Through activities such as pre-season planning meetings, demo-based learning sharing meetings, and community livestock vaccination campaigns, more collaborations and links among agri-input suppliers, Animal Health Service Providers (Vaccinators), Buyers, and Aggregators have been developed.

Laxmi Sarder is one of the 199 Nobo Jatra trained lead farmers in the Joynagar village of Tildanga union. She received 5 days of training on "Vegetable production, Fish culture, and Poultry rearing using improved production technologies & Climate Smart Agricultural Technologies and safer use of pesticides" and began integrated farming, supporting 7 sub-lead farmers and 175 producers. She set up an integrated CSA demonstration plot for vegetables, as well as cultivated carp fish, and GIFT tilapia in her pond, as well as raised chickens and ducks. Laxmi's farm currently produces watermelon and other seasonal vegetables, and she makes an average of $1238 per year. Nobo Jatra has touched roughly 50,000 farmers in southwest Bangladesh using various CSA technologies over the course of seven years.

Md. Mahabubar Rahman, an environmentalist who works for World Vision as the Project Manager-BHA & Tech Manager for NJ DRR ICR & Nobo Jatra Project, expressed optimism for the future. People are getting more robust, he argues, and Climate Smart technology is developing as well. People may be pushed to develop more nature-based and environmentally friendly solutions to cope with various natural disaster circumstances and climate effect challenges as a result of innovations and alternative methods. He also stated that we must always be prepared because we cannot tell when a natural calamity may strike.

Nobo Jatra's agriculture and livelihoods strategy, which aims to raise equitable household income, diversify livelihoods, and provide safe, diversified, and nutritious food, has benefited not just the project's participants, but also the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals aims to eliminate hunger, increase food security and nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. Nobo Jatra is interested in entrepreneurship education, climate-smart agriculture, and local service provider capacity building. Approximately 52,000 participants, the most of whom were women, received entrepreneurial literacy training and business development in order to promote self-sufficiency. Basic literacy, numeracy, and essential concepts relating to credit, business development, and income were also covered.

200 lead farmers were educated to administer climate-smart demonstration plots and develop demand within local communities for innovative technologies and practices, including the cultivation of saline-tolerant crop varieties, to improve climate-resilient agriculture productivity in the area. A total of 300 Local Service Providers (LSPs) have been trained to assist producer groups as agricultural advisors. Smallholder farmers benefit from LSPs because they have access to government extension services, agro-vets, input providers, and purchasers.

Nobo Jatra also serves a cross-cutting goal of improving social responsibility and national policy engagement in service provision for vulnerable men and women. Gender equality underlies the overall effectiveness of the agriculture and livelihoods plan, which attempts to expand women's access to agricultural services and economic prospects, by maintaining a minimum of 60 percent female enrolment. In the long run, this allows women to afford healthful diets for their families, as well as play a larger part in their children's health and food intake. Through women-only producer groups, female lead farmers, and female LSPs, the programme also empowers women to take on leadership responsibilities.

The strengthening of union-level agriculture standing committees, direct interaction with the Department of Agriculture Extension, and partnership with other NGOs and service providers are all part of Nobo Jatra's governance and social accountability processes. The initiative encourages communities to raise their voices and enhance access to primary government extension services and inputs by using the Citizen Voice and Action (CVA) strategy.

Farmers are provided with high-quality seeds through a partnership with the private sector. They are being urged to practice climate-friendly agriculture. As a result, many farmers are growing crops outside of the growing season. To sell the produced crops, a marketing method has been devised through several farmer associations. Thus, there would be a lot to say about Nobo Jatra. Approximately 29,170 women have finished their training to date, with 17,545 women and 591 men engaged in income-generating activities. Over 2000 child care centers have been constructed. Furthermore, Climate Smart Agriculture and better production techniques are used by 20,289 farmers (mainly women). Various technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programs are now available, with learners now working for themselves and earning an average of $19 per month. Some apprentices work in workshops as employees, earning an average of $43 a month.

Suresh Bartlett, national director of World Vision Bangladesh, said during the ceremony that Nobo Jatra was created to help accomplish sustainable development goals (SDGs). For the past 50 years, World Vision has collaborated with USAID and the Bangladesh government to ensure food security for Bangladesh's families and children.

"We intend to continue the operations even after the conclusion of this project," Md Mohsin, Secretary to the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry remarked as a special guest at the ceremony.

Dr. Md Enamur Rahman, Minister of Disaster Management and Relief, said as the chief guest, "The Nobo Jatra project's implementation experience and activities should be replicated on a bigger scale in coastal and inaccessible locations. Such projects will continue to be supported by the government."

Climate change, which poses a significant threat to Bangladesh's densely populated coastal area, has been mitigated by Nobo Jatra. Their numerous initiatives and actions have aided many people in adapting to the situation and overcoming potential crop damage and harvest sabotage. The Nobo Jatra project was able to assist a large number of people, but there is still a pressing need to adapt current agricultural practices to these changing conditions, and they expect to be able to offer even more in the future.

Reference:

https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/nobo-jatra-improves-living-conditions-85-lakh-people-333187

https://www.wvb-nobojatra.org/

 

Need for gatekeeping in citizen journalism

Gatekeeping & Citizen Journalism

 Image source: Freepik

After going through various definitions of gatekeeping, I came to understand what it means. The process by which information is selected or filtered for the media that is to be consumed by the mass people is what gatekeeping in media is. To make it simpler, we can say that because of gatekeeping the mass media can control the flow of information and decide what should and should not be published to the public. There is a monopoly in gatekeeping traditional media outlets even today. However, due to technological advancement, mass media is evolving every day thus there is a rise of digital media platforms which makes it even more necessary to gate keep the content for the people.

As our media is developing the number of audience participation with news construction is increasing too. Such a situation caused a journalist-audience relationship called “reciprocal journalism”. Audiences can decide for themselves what news content they prefer to see and thus this contributes even further to the power dynamics between the public and journalists according to Groshek & Tandoc, (2016). Previously when web 1.0 was there, people did not have many options. There was a limitation in interaction and there were not anyways for participatory journalism. Web 2.0 changed the scenario as the information that is published or broadcasted is more audience-centric which is why gatekeepers have to filter information. The websites on the internet are more interactive rather than static and there are multiple platform hubs. Due to web 2.0, the journalists and audience have more opportunities for reciprocal journalism.

Public citizens can now actively play a role in processing and disseminating information to the world. This participatory or reciprocal journalism is also known as citizen journalism. Nowadays, even if the people are not professional journalists, they can still publish or broadcast various news with the help of social media, blogs, and so on. Many media houses publish stories that are by ordinary people rather than professionals. Any ordinary person can be a part of citizen journalism by simply sharing their experience or story. Citizen journalism has contributed to our nation in various ways to make people work for the betterment of our society. On the other hand, since anyone and everyone can be a journalist at any time from anywhere it gives rise to a social media dilemma. The significant rise of media outlets where citizen journalists or individual storytellers makes it hard for the public to believe what is real and what is fake.

One of the most important tasks for a journalist or a media house is to ensure that the news they publish or broadcast has to be reliable and trustworthy. The public deserves to know the truth only. Citizen journalists are accepted and appreciated for any honest work they do but this also makes it more crucial for practicing gatekeeping in media and communication. In today’s society, it is hard to determine who the media audiences and journalists are due to the wide range of accessibility. In some cases journalistic news and public opinions are indistinct. Therefore, the gatekeeping theory is a powerful process through which the mass media can control how and why certain information should not pass through. News selection or extraction of information causes the media to close off certain topics or information from media attention. The journalists act as gates to ensure the content and nature of the message that is being conveyed in the news.

The gatekeeping model help media to decide whether an event should be published. The editors and journalists act as the gatekeepers to make sure the information we are receiving is as authentic as it can be. In the professional media world, a piece of information or news item passes through multiple gatekeepers to organize and merge it with other information to make it a proper story for our receivers. The need for gatekeeping citizen journalists is because of factors like fake news and click-baits. Almost anyone can easily access various media outlets and this results in viewers being victims of click-baits or fake news. The public might get influenced by non-journalistic social media which might negatively contribute to society. Some might even become victims of cyber-crime or cyber-bullying.

Since the accessibility for the audience to create and publish content has become easier, messages exchange and feedback happen simultaneously as well. There is an active audience and interactive community but professional journalists have to assert control over the media as there is a need to regulate the audience in a systematic manner to access educational and newsworthy information. Gatekeeping theory can help prevent curious audiences to be lured and induced by click-baits.

Click-bait example:
https://barta24.com/details/entertainment/128862/embarrassment-over-apurba-sabila-marriage 

Fake news example:
https://www.tbsnews.net/thoughts/busting-top-3-fake-news-week-173236

If I were to give a real-life example of a gatekeeping method to tackle fake news or click-baits then it can be said the Digital Security Act, 2018 is one of them. This digital security law in Bangladesh prevents everyone to spread hate speech, racism, terrorist propaganda, and so on. The government can issue a penalty or punishment for the person who posts content on any media platform that is considered pornographic or inappropriate for the public. According to section 17 of DSA, if a person tries to intimidate people or cause damage to the state through digital media then he/she will face imprisonment for 14 years or pay a fine of 10 million, in a worst-case scenario both. It can be justified that because of DSA, cyberspace is more supervised and protected but there are many things wrong with it. Some even consider DSA to be a controversial law.

Image source: Dhaka Tribune

In July 2021, under the DSA law, around 433 people were imprisoned due to allegations of spreading false and offensive information online. On 18th July 2021, Md Akhtaruzzaman was arrested by the police under the DSA for simply posting a Facebook post. His post talked about the corruption of the health official and his office assistant. Photojournalist Shahidul Alam was forcefully arrested and had to spend more than 100 days in jail, just for giving an international interview to Al-Jazeera about the road safety protest in Dhaka in August 2018. Just like them, many other writers, journalists, bloggers, cartoonists, and many more were tortured and harassed due to this law just for the sake of silence. The government should not use DSA to strike fear in societies.

As much as gatekeeping citizen journalists is necessary, it is also important for the government and media to use their power for what is right and prevent any wrong from happening. They should not use DSA or any form of gatekeeping as an excuse to control the media by promoting a cause on the mass media that might be in the best interest of the government or influential individuals. People should be punished for doing something wrong therefore it is important to note that with great power comes great responsibility.  

Viewers or readers must know what they are watching or reading is true or false. The role of a journalist is to serve the citizen in an ethical manner which is why gatekeeping is significant in such mass media. Even if a citizen decides that he/she is a journalist they should have an ethical mindset to deliver information. The need for gatekeeping is essential to safeguard the public from what is being distributed through the mass media. It is important to filter out the sensitive information that may harm someone or try to regulate click-bait articles and fake news. However, this does not mean the media should misuse the gatekeeping theory to censor information that the public deserves to know.

References:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatekeeping_(communication)
• https://bbf.digital/citizen-journalism-bangladesh
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Security_Act,_2018
• https://archive.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/law-rights/2018/09/30/experts-call-for-review-of-digital-security-act
• https://www.news18.com/news/world/bangladeshi-cartoonist-granted-bail-after-protests-over-writers-death-in-custody-intensifies-3494339.html
• https://www.newagebd.net/article/144661/433-people-held-under-dsa-in-2021
• https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/journalist-arrested-under-dsa-facebook-posts-using-fake-ids-bogura-2133156
• https://indigenousherald.com/TripuraNews/journalist-detained-under-ds-act-in-bangladesh-17691.html
• https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/04/world/shahidul-alam-cnnphotos/