Perpetrators of Aug 21 grenade attack will be punished: PM

Accusing the past BNP-Jamaat government and Begum Khaleda Zia and her elder son Tarique Rahman of perpetrating the August 21, 2004 gruesome grenade attack on an Awami League rally in the capital, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today asserted that punishment would be inflicted to those responsible for the heinous attack.

“It was not possible to carry out such attack without patronisation of the BNP-Jamaat government,” she said while addressing a memorial discussion marking the 15th anniversary of the August 21 grenade attack at Krishibid Institute of Bangladesh (KIB) in Dhaka.

The premier went on saying that “It (the patronization of BNP-Jamaat in the grenade attack) has become a truth that was proved by evidences and we have got a verdict upon filing a case.”

The prime minister said that incidents of staging Joj Mia drama, destroying evidences of the grenade attack, barring the AL volunteers from going to the rooftops of adjoining buildings around the rally venue, subjecting the party leaders and activists to torture by charging batons and throwing teargas shells to help the attackers to flee from the scene and conducting an judicial inquiry bore testimony to evidences of BNP-Jamaat’s patronization in the grenade attack.

“Now, it will go to the higher court as death reference and we hoped to get the justice. Regrettably, the party leaders, workers and supporters who were killed in the attack would not return anymore,” she said.

Twenty-four people, including Bangladesh Mohila Awami League President Ivy Rahman, were killed and over 500 others suffered injuries in the attack and many of them became crippled for life, the primer said.

Though Sheikh 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 huge public rally.

A one minute silence was observed as a mark of profound respect to the memories of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other martyrs of the August 15, 1975 carnage, the four national leaders and the martyrs of the August 21, 2004 grenade attacks.

AL Advisory Council Member Amir Hossain Amu, its Presidium Members Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, and Advocate Sahara Khatun MP, AL General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, central leader Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya (Bir Bikram), Organising Secretaries BM Mozammel Haque and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon, Dhaka South City AL President Abul Hasnat, AL leader SM Kamal Hossain, and Dhaka North City AL General Secretary Sadek Khan, spoke on the occasion.

Publicity and Publication Secretary of AL and Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud and its Deputy Publicity and Publication Secretary Aminul Islam jointly moderated the function.