Milestone Air Crash
Published: 12:14 AM, 14 May 2026
Ex Forces Association labels Usaimong Marma as KNF member
The Ex-Forces Association has labeled Usaimong Marma - the person who filed a case application accusing former interim government chief adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus and 15 others, including the Air Force chief, of negligence over the aircraft crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara, Dhaka - as a member of the hill-based armed group Kuki Chin National Front (KNF).
At a press conference held on Wednesday at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, the president of the association of former armed forces personnel, retired Lieutenant Saifullah Khan Saif, said:
"His name is Usaimong Marma. We request you to look into who this Usaimong Marma really is."
Usaimong Marma is the father of Ukya Chaing Marma, a student who died in the Milestone School and College aircraft crash. Recently, he appeared on Facebook Live and alleged that police had raided his home in Rangamati after he filed the case application. He said he had been forced into hiding due to security concerns. Two days after making those allegations, the Ex-Forces Association held a press conference in Dhaka and brought counter-allegations against him.
In a written statement at the press conference, the association said: "It is being observed with deep concern that recently a vested group has been deliberately trying to question Bangladesh's armed forces, damage their professional image, and weaken the morale of their members."
Saifullah Khan Saif said:
"At a time when Bangladesh is moving forward to strengthen its national interests, sovereignty, and 'Bangladesh First'-based foreign policy, and initiatives are being taken to build the armed forces into a modern, capable, and up-to-date force, misleading information, propaganda, and motivated campaigns are being spread continuously.
"Especially after initiatives for the modernization of the Bangladesh Air Force, procurement of fighter jets, and acquisition of technology-based defense capabilities came forward, a certain group has become active in trying to make the force controversial. The filing of a case application against the respected Air Force chief, attempts to link the Air Force with extremism, and the spread of baseless and misleading information on various online platforms to create suspicion among the public are extremely unfortunate and undesirable."
On May 7, Usaimong Marma filed a case application alleging negligence over the Milestone School and College aircraft crash. Ariful Islam, a metropolitan magistrate in Dhaka, dismissed the application, saying there was insufficient basis to accept it.
The application stated that, like every other day, students of Milestone School and College had gone to school on July 21 last year. At around 1:18 pm that day, a "defective" training aircraft, the F-7 BGI, which was allegedly under the direct responsibility and supervision of the accused, was ordered to take off. A "novice" pilot flew the fighter jet alone, and due to technical faults, it crashed into Milestone School and College.
As a result, 35 people died, including 28 students, three teachers, three guardians, and one director. Another 172 people suffered severe burn injuries and were permanently disabled.
The application further alleged that the institution lacked adequate firefighting systems and that the building had not been constructed according to proper regulations, which severely hampered rescue efforts. As a result, although rescuers began operations, many students died before reaching hospitals.
Besides Muhammad Yunus, the accused named in the application included former interim government law adviser Asif Nazrul, environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, education adviser C R Abrar, chief adviser's press secretary Shafiqul Alam, former education secretary Siddiq Zobair, the secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmud Khan, Air Vice Marshal Morshed Mohammad Khayer Ul Afsar, Group Captain Rifat Akhtar Ziku, retired Colonel Nurnabi, adviser to the governing body of Milestone School and College, principal Mohammad Ziaul Alam, principal (administration) Masud Alam, school branch principal Rifat Nabi, the chairman of RAJUK, and RAJUK's field supervisor for Uttara.
