Minister’s Range Rover Stopped on Wrong Side of Dhaka Road, Driver Fined

Traffic police in Dhaka stopped a minister’s Range Rover after finding it traveling on the wrong side of Circuit House Road, then filed two cases and fined the driver Tk 6,000.

The vehicle, registered as Dhaka Metro-Gha-18-2125, was heading toward the Secretariat when officers stopped it at about 9:08 a.m. The driver, Arif Hossain, received two fines of Tk 3,000, one for each offense, according to a senior official from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police traffic division.

Officials said the vehicle belonged to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and that Minister Rashiduzzaman Millat was inside. They called the action unprecedented, saying they could not recall another case in Bangladesh involving a minister’s vehicle for driving against traffic.

Traffic officials said vehicles carrying ministers had previously been reported traveling against traffic to avoid congestion or reach destinations faster, but those incidents had not resulted in cases. Senior police officials said the action should make clear that traffic rules apply to everyone, regardless of who is traveling in a vehicle. They also said the prime minister’s motorcade had been following signals and traffic rules on congested roads.