BNP had no hand behind Aug 21 grenade attack: Nazrul

Describing the August 21 grenade attack as a dreadful terror act, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan today claimed that their party has no involvement in it.

He also demanded a fair trial of the perpetrators of the heinous attack on an Awami League rally in 2004.

“The August-21 grenade attack is a horrible and terror act. We want to clearly state that the real offenders be tried through a fair and neutral probe, no matter who they are,” the BNP leader said.

He came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after placing a wreath at BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave along with the leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal, marking the release of its general secretary and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s adviser Shamsuzzaman Dudu from jail.

On August 7, Dudu was freed from Kashimpur jail on bail. Police arrested him during a meeting with party men at a restaurant in Mirpur on January 11.

Sought his comment over the allegation of the ruling Awami League about BNP’s involvement in the August-21 attack, Nazrul said they have repeatedly made its position clear that their party has no hands in it. “We think they (AL) are brining allegation against us due to political reason.”

“We want to equivocally say that BNP do nationalist and democratic politics and there is no room for terrorism in it. So, BNP has no link to the politics of killing and terrorism,” he added.

Refuting AL’s allegation, the BNP policymaker said, “People do not believe in such accusation. This matters little what they (AL) says as they brand Ziaur Rahman, who proclaimed the country’s Liberation War, as a Pakistani agent and they also call Kader Siddiqui as a Razakar.”