BNP-Jamaat govt behind Aug 21 attack

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has once again accused the then BNP-Jamaat government of perpetrating the grisly grenade attack on an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004.

She said the incident jolted the world's conscience but the conscience of the BNP leader or the party was not stirred.

"We were not allowed to utter a single word or discuss the matter in parliament. We were even barred from bringing any motion in Jatiya Sangsad to condemn the attack.”

The PM said it is clear who were involved in that incident and that there is no need to prove it.

In this connection, Hasina, who narrowly escaped the attack, referred to some remarks of Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and her party leaders.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina placing wreaths at a makeshift memorial for the martyrs of the August 21 grenade attack. The memorial was set up in front of the Awami League central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the city yesterday. Photo: BSS

"Begum Zia had said I [Hasina] would never be the prime minister or even the leader of the opposition in future, while her elder son [Tarique] stayed at his father-in-law's home in Dhanmondi for eight to 10 months consecutively," she said, posing a question if Tarique lived there to hatch a conspiracy against her.

READ: Pain they still bear

"It seemed from the comments of the BNP leader and her party men that they wanted to remove me from this world," Hasina said.

The PM was speaking at a rally yesterday after placing wreaths at a makeshift memorial for martyrs of the gruesome grenade attack.

The memorial was set up by Awami League in front of its Bangabandhu Avenue central office where militants had lobbed 13 grenades on a AL peaceful rally.

Twenty-four leaders and workers of party and its associate bodies including the then Mohila AL president Ivy Rahman, wife of late president Zillur Rahman, were killed and over 500 others suffered splinter injuries in the attack. Many of the injured became crippled for life.

Though Hasina narrowly escaped the attack, she lost her hearing ability due to the impact of the repeated grenade blasts near the truck-dais of the rally.

Yesterday, she first placed a wreath at the memorial and then placed another, flanked by her party leaders.

Cabinet members, PM's advisers, senior leaders of AL and 14-party combine, and family members of the martyrs and those injured in the incident were present.

A munajat was also offered seeking eternal peace of the departed souls. After addressing the programme, Hasina met relatives of the victims.