Police on Thursday filed two cases against a vehicle carrying the Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashiduzzaman Millat for driving on the wrong side of Circuit House Road in Dhaka.

The vehicle’s driver, Arif Hossain, was sued for reckless driving, a senior police official  of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s traffic division said.

Police imposed a fine of 3,000 taka for each offence, bringing the total penalty to 6,000 taka, the official said.

He said traffic police stopped the Range Rover, bearing registration number Dhaka Metro-Gha-18-2125, at around 9:08am as it was heading towards the Secretariat on the wrong side of the road.

Traffic officials described the action as unprecedented, saying they could not recall any previous instance in Bangladesh in which a case was filed against a minister’s vehicle for driving against traffic.

There have previously been reports of vehicles carrying ministers driving on the wrong side of roads to avoid congestion or reach destinations faster. However, such incidents had not resulted in legal action, officials said.

The incident sparked discussion at the Secretariat, with senior police officials saying the action demonstrated that traffic laws apply equally to everyone, regardless of the status of passengers in a vehicle.

Another senior police official said the prime minister’s motorcade had also been following traffic rules and obeying traffic signals while travelling through congested roads.

He said the case against the minister’s vehicle should send a message to senior government officials that they too must comply with traffic laws.