A case has been filed against a minister’s car for allegedly being driven recklessly on the wrong side of the road in the capital.

The incident took place on Circuit House Road at around 9:08am on Thursday, a senior official of the traffic division said.

According to the official, the traffic police stopped the flag-bearing vehicle, which was heading towards the Secretariat on the wrong side of the road.

The vehicle, a Range Rover bearing registration number Dhaka Metro-Gha-18-2125, was being driven by Arif Hossain.

“He was told that driving on the wrong side in this manner was a clear violation of traffic laws,” the official said.

Two cases were filed against the driver, and he was fined Tk6,000, with Tk3,000 imposed in each case, the official added.

The official said one of the cases was filed against Arif Hossain for reckless driving.

An inquiry found that the vehicle belonged to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and that Minister Rashiduzzaman Millat was inside the car at the time.

The traffic official said the incident occurred while the Prime Minister’s motorcade was passing along an adjacent road towards the Secretariat.

Traffic officials said this was the first time a case had been filed against a minister’s vehicle for allegedly travelling on the wrong side of the road in Bangladesh.

Although there have been media reports in the past of vehicles carrying ministers travelling against traffic flow to avoid congestion or reach destinations quickly, filing a case in such an incident was described as unprecedented.

The incident sparked considerable discussion at the Secretariat.

A senior government official said the incident would send a strong message to senior officials, particularly as the Prime Minister’s motorcade itself was following traffic rules and obeying signals despite congestion.