Aviation Minister's car stopped for wrong-way driving, cases filed

Police have filed two cases against the car of the Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister for reckless driving on the wrong side of the road in the capital. The incident occurred at 9:08am on Thursday, September 3, on Circuit House Road, a top traffic division official said.

Police said a flagged car was heading towards the Secretariat on the wrong side of Circuit House Road when on-duty traffic police stopped it. The vehicle's registration number is Dhaka Metro-Gha-18-2125.

The traffic division official said driving on the wrong side violates Dhaka Metropolitan Police traffic regulations. Two cases have been filed against the driver, Arif Hossain, for reckless driving, with fines of Tk 3,000 in each case, totalling Tk 6,000.

According to police, the car belongs to Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat. The minister was in the vehicle at the time of the incident .

Traffic officials said when the minister's car was moving the wrong way, the Prime Minister's motorcade was also heading towards the Secretariat on the adjacent road.

Traffic division officials claim this is the first instance of a case being filed against a minister's vehicle for driving on the wrong side in Bangladesh. While there have been media reports of ministers' vehicles taking wrong routes to avoid traffic or reach destinations quickly, no cases were filed in those instances.

The case against the minister's vehicle has generated discussion at the Secretariat. A senior government official said the Prime Minister himself complies with traffic rules while commuting to the Secretariat. Even amidst traffic congestion, his motorcade follows traffic signals. In such a context, the filing of a case against a minister or secretary's vehicle for driving the wrong way could be considered a significant message for top officials.