Minister Millat’s jeep fined for driving wrong way

 
Police filed two cases and imposed fines after intercepting the flag-carrying vehicle of Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashiduaz-zaman Millat for driving on the wrong side of the road in Dhaka on Thursday.

The incident occurred at 9:08am on Circuit House Road as the minister’s vehicle was heading towards the Secretariat against the flow of traffic. Minister Rashiduazzaman Millat was inside the vehicle at the time.

A senior official of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s traffic division said the vehicle, a Range Rover bearing registration number Dhaka Metro-Gha-18-2125, was stopped by traffic police at around 9:08am while it was heading towards the Secretariat on the wrong side of the road.

A Range Rover, a luxurious vehicle  was carrying the minister's flag.

"A minister's car was travelling in the opposite direction on Circuit House Road towards the Secretariat at 9:08am. Traffic police stopped the flag-carrying vehicle," he said.

"The driver was told that driving in the wrong lane in this way is a complete violation of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Act."

Two cases were filed against the driver, Arif Hossain, and fines totalling Tk 6,000 were imposed. Police said one of the allegations related to reckless driving.

At the time, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's motorcade was travelling towards the Secretariat along a nearby road while following traffic signals.

A traffic police official said this was the first time in Bangladesh that legal action had been taken against the driver of a minister's car for travelling on the wrong side of the road.

"In the past, incidents of ministers' cars going in the opposite direction to reach their destinations quickly or to avoid traffic jams have been reported in the media, but this is the first instance of a case," he said.

News of the case sparked widespread discussion at the Secretariat on Thursday.

A senior police official said the prime minister had been travelling to and from the Secretariat while following traffic laws.

"The prime minister is travelling to and from the Secretariat following traffic laws. The prime minister's convoy is following traffic signals, even in the midst of traffic jams. The consequences of this incident of a minister or secretary's car facing a case for travelling the wrong way will send a message to the country's top officials," he said.