DHAKA, Aug 20, 2018 (BSS) – President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina today paid rich tributes to the victims of August 21 grenade
attack in 2004 and prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls of the
martyrs.
In separate messages on the eve of the 14th anniversary of the heinous
grenade attack, they urged all to work unitedly to turn the sorrows of August
21 into strength by building a peaceful and democratic Bangladesh which will
be free from terrorism and militancy.
In his message, President Abdul Hamid terming the heinous grenade attack
as another “black chapter” in the country’s political history.
Abdul Hamid said the history’s most barbaric grenade attack was launched on
August 21 during an Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue as per a
blueprint to kill Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina.
Though Sheikh Hasina escaped death by the grace of Allah, Awami Mahila
League’s former President Ivy Rahman and 23 other leaders and activists were
killed and many others were injured, he added.
The President said many of the injured persons in the attack became
crippled for the whole life and now living in endless miseries.
“The August 21, 2004 grenade attack was aimed at making bankrupt the AL and
Bangladesh in leadership and stopping democratic process and establishing
autocracy and militancy,” he said adding that the people of the country did
not let it happen.
The President expressed his optimism that the pro-democratic and patriotic
people will come forward being imbued with the spirit of the War of
Liberation to build a dignified, happy and prosperous Bangladesh.
He said mutual respect and tolerance are a must to make the country’s
democracy meaningful.
In a separate message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government
wants to end killing, terrorism and militancy in the country by bringing the
attackers, masterminds and plotters of the grenade attack of August 21 under
trial.
Terming the grenade attack a ‘stigmatized day’ in the political history of
the country, Sheikh Hasina said, “The barbaric grenade attack was carried out
on that day in 2004 under the direct patronization of BNP-Jamaat alliance on
an anti-terrorism rally of Awami League to kill me.”
“Our party leaders and workers, by forming a human-shield, saved me from
the series of grenade attacks,” she recalled.
“I survived the attack due to immense blessings of the Almighty” but some
23 leaders and workers including president of Mahila Awami League Ivy Rahman
embraced martyrdom, the Premier said adding that more than 500 leaders and
activists, journalists and security personnel were injured.
Sheikh Hasina said it was the moral obligation of a government to arrest
the culprits involved with such a heinous attack. But, the then government of
BNP protected the killers and helped a number of attackers to leave the
country.
They destroyed the evidence of the incidence and in the name of
investigation, diverted the heinous incident to other direction, she said.
“But truth can never be suppressed. Today, it has come out through
investigation that many high-ups of the BNP-Jama’at alliance government were
directly involved with the attack,” the Prime Minister said.
She said whenever BNP-Jamaat alliance came to power, they intended to make
the country a failed state by patronizing militants and terrorists. She
expressed the hope that through the proper trials of the masterminds and
perpetrators of August 21 grenade attack, the rule of law would be
established in the country.
The Prime Minister said the people of the country voted Awami League to
power again through a landslide victory on the December 29, 2008 general
election to end all evil-attempts and conspiracies of BNP-Jammat.
She said her government started working to establish the country on a
strong economic basement overcoming all impediments and Bangladesh was moving
ahead.
On January 5, 2014 election, the people again voted Awami League to power
to keep up the continuation of the constitution, she said.
Sheikh Hasina said in the last nine years, the country has achieved
expected progress in every sector and Bangladesh is now a “role model” in
socioeconomic development.