Since the fatal plane crash at Milestone School and Collegeโs permanent campus in Uttara on Monday, the authorities have been trying to hide the actual number of deaths, fearing public resentment.
As of midnight, 22 people, including students, staff, and the F7 pilot, were declared dead, with over 150 others injured with low to severe burns still undergoing treatment at various hospitals.
According to school sources, at least 120 people lost their lives instantly.
Local people and members of the Bangladesh Army and the Fire Service rushed to the school to rescue the injured. Inside the campus, the army asked residential students to leave the dormitory. Some students at the time claimed that the military was attempting to conceal corpses.
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Moreover, the army beat up some students when they spoke to the media.
ATN Bangla reporter Ali Asgar Emon also revealed that the authorities were attempting to conceal the casualties.
Engaged in the rescue operation, school teacher Shafayet Faiyaz said he protested when the TV reporters mentioned the death toll of 18-19 persons.
Faiyaz reported recovering 15-20 charred bodies from the damaged classrooms. After saying this, the army personnel present at the spot started beating him.
When the principal, vice-principal and teachers came to save him, the army personnel assaulted them too.
โAt one point, they took me to the Project-7 building and beat me again. They tried to strangle me with the scarf I was wearing,โ Faiyaz said on Facebook.
According to a source at the school, at least 120 students, teachers, and staff were killed on the spot. The school authorities wanted to announce the list, but the army personnel wanted them to keep silent.
Describing the torture of the teacher, student Tahsin Ul Haque posted on Facebook that the army is trying to play politics with dead bodies.
He said around 5:30-5:35pm, when the death toll crossed 70-80, the media was reporting only 15-20.
“At one point, when our principal, Ziaul Alam Sir, protested this, an army officer hit him. After that, the real game started.
All the students left the hostel and gathered in front of the gymnasium. The army was also in a face-to-face position. Within a while, tension on the campus rose high as the students chanted slogans against the army. Some students started throwing shoes, stones, and sticks at the army.
“Then, on the instructions of the Principal Sir and Safayat Sir, we left the field.”
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