The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has cancelled its scheduled 'Drone Show' in Jatrabari, Dhaka on Monday, in the wake of the tragic military aircraft crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara, which left at least 19 people dead and over 100 injured.
The event was initially planned as part of the government’s “July Renaissance” initiative, commemorating the student-led uprising of July 2024. Titled “July Madrasa Resistance Day,” the show was to be held at Shaheed Smaran Mancha of Jamia Mahmudia Madrasa in Jatrabari (Demra) on Monday, July 21 at 10:30 pm.
In a press release issued on Sunday, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs had announced the high-profile event, stating that 2,000 drones, operated jointly by the Governments of Bangladesh and China, would narrate the story of the July movement through light, animation, and sky-based projection. The drone performance was to visually depict the historic slogans, graffiti, and protest scenes that marked the nationwide student uprising in July 2024.
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“The event was designed to celebrate how the people — especially students across Dhaka and the country — rose like a tide and gave new momentum to the democratic movement,” the announcement had stated.
However, following Monday afternoon’s devastating crash of a Bangladesh Air Force F‑7 BGI training aircraft, which struck the Uttara campus of Milestone School and College during school hours, the Shilpakala Academy issued an emergency statement expressing deep shock and announcing the event’s suspension.
“The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is deeply shocked by the heartbreaking deaths — many of them children — in today’s crash,” the updated press release said, adding: “In respect to the victims and their families, the ‘Drone Show’ scheduled for tonight has been postponed.”
No new date has been announced for the rescheduled event.
In response to the disaster, the government has declared Tuesday, July 22, 2025, as a national day of mourning, with flags to be flown at half-mast and special prayers to be held across the country.