Miscreants damage Zia’s grave decor

Miscreants have partially damaged the decoration of the tomb of BNP founder and late president Ziaur Rahman in Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

The broken marble plates (11 pieces) were found this morning. It might have damaged last night, Syrul Kabir Khan, an official of the BNP chairperson's press wing, told The Daily Star.

However, he said he did not know who was behind the act. Ziaur Rahman’s grave is located in Chandrima Udyan.

The round-shaped tomb has 118 marble plates on it. Mizanur Rahman, sweeper of the grave told our correspondent that he spotted the damage around 6:00am.

BNP Assistant Publicity Secretary Syed Imran Saleh Prince visited the tomb this afternoon and told our correspondent that it was a sabotage attack.

“We (BNP) see it as a conspiracy (of the government),” he said.

On May 30, 1981, Zia, who was a sector commander during the Liberation War in 1971, was assassinated by a group of army officers at Chittagong Circuit House.

He was awarded Bir Uttam, the highest gallantry award for a living officer for his wartime services.

Ziaur Rahman was born on January 19, 1936 at Bagbari in Bogra.