Toukir’s Flag-Draped Coffin: Uniform Returned to Heartbroken Family

The crash of a Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) FT-7BGI fighter jet into Milestone School and College in Dhaka’s Uttara on 21 July 2025 has claimed at least 32 lives, including 29 children, a teacher, and pilot Flight Lieutenant Md. Toukir Islam. The tragedy, which injured 170 others & many still missing, has plunged the nation into mourning, with the pilot’s sacrifice and the loss of young lives sparking widespread grief and calls for reform.

The jet, on a routine training mission, took off from BAF Base Bir Uttom A. K. Khandker in Kurmitola at 1:06 PM (BST). Minutes later, a mechanical failure caused it to crash into the school’s building, igniting a fire that devastated the junior section hosting Classes 3 to 8. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported that Toukir Islam, aged 27 and on his first solo flight, made every effort to divert the jet to a less populated area but could not prevent the collision. Rescued in critical condition, he succumbed to injuries at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

Imagined Final Moments

In a dramatized account of his final minutes, the control tower reportedly asked Toukir, call sign THOR-555, about his position as the jet malfunctioned. “The aircraft is stalled,” he responded, his voice steady despite the crisis. The tower urgently ordered, “THOR-555, eject immediately!” Unable to regain control, Toukir braced for impact, steering the jet toward a less populated area in a final bid to reduce casualties, but the aircraft struck the school, leading to catastrophic loss. (This account is fictional and not based on verified information. Any resemblance to real events is coincidental.)

His funeral parade took place on 22 July at Kurmitola Parade Ground, attended by Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman and Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, saw his coffin draped in the national flag. A second namaz-e-janaza in Rajshahi’s Muktijuddho Smriti Stadium preceded his burial at Sapura Graveyard. Crowds gathered at his Rajshahi home, reflecting public grief.

Toukir, who studied at Rajshahi Government Laboratory High School, Pabna Cadet College, and joined BAF in 2017, was married to a BRAC University lecturer. His family in Uposhohor, Rajshahi, with roots in Kansat, Chapainawabganj, mourned deeply. The crash, disrupting HSC exams, prompted a national day of mourning, with flags at half-mast across institutions and Bangladesh missions abroad. Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus vowed a thorough investigation.

The loss of 29 children, including siblings Tahiya Tabassum Nadia (13, Class 6) and Nafi Islam (9, Class 3) from Kamarpara, Uttara, has left families shattered. Nadia died at 3:00 AM at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery with 90% burns and was buried in Kamarpara, as her brother Nafi, also with 90% burns, fights for life in the ICU. Their father, Ashraful Islam Nirab, a retired army officer, is devastated. Sayan Yusuf (14, Class 7), son of Milestone’s chemistry assistant professor Yusuf and lecturer wife, died at 3:50 AM with 95% burns. “I won’t stay in this country anymore,” Yusuf said, blaming systemic failures.

Other identified victims include Bappi (9), Erickson (13), Arian (13), Nazia (14), and teacher Masuka, all succumbing to severe burns. Teacher Purnima Das, present during the crash, shared her trauma on Facebook: “I saw children running, their bodies on fire. A colleague collapsed, burning, at my feet. I stood frozen until pulled out.” Teacher Meherin Chowdhury (46) heroically saved 29 students before sustaining burns herself, now under treatment at the Burn Institute. A student, Meherin (12), and Class 4’s Chhowa were among those she rescued, with Chhowa now at PG Hospital.

Of the 178 injured, many are in critical condition at the Burn Institute, where Professor Md. Sayedur Rahman appealed for blood donors. Six bodies remain unidentified, and the tragedy’s scale—mostly children—has amplified calls to relocate training flights, overshadowing the heroism with national sorrow.

Note: This article includes an imagined, unverified account of Flight Lieutenant Md. Toukir Islam’s final moments, marked as fictional. Any resemblance to real events or information is coincidental and unintended.