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AUGUST 21-DISCUSSION
Aug 15 carnage, Aug 21 grenade attacks sewed in single thread: Speakers
DHAKA, Aug 22, 2020 (BSS) – Veteran politicians and columnists in a
webinar said August 15, 1975 carnage and gruesome grenade attack on
Awami League rally on August 21, 2004, are sewed in a single thread
and the plotters behind both the incidents are still hatching
conspiracies.
They called for forming a truth commission like South Africa to
identify the masterminds behind these barbaric acts.
The United Kingdom unit of Awami League organized the webinar last
night marking the August 21 grenade attacks with its president Sultan
Mahmud Sharif in the chair.
Veteran journalist and litterateur Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, Awami
League advisory council member and 14-party alliance spokesperson Amir
Hossain Amu, Awami League Joint General Secretary and Information
Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, Awami
League Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Organizing
Secretary SM Kamal Hossain and Office Secretary and Prime Minister’s
special assistant Barrister Biplob Barua took part in the webinar.
UK unit AL general secretary Syed Sazedur Rahman Faruk conducted the event.
“Attacks of August 15, 1975, and August 21, 2004, are sewed in a
single thread. Only the frontline attackers were brought to justice,
but the persons who masterminded both the attacks have remained
undetected. It is necessary to form a truth commission like South
Africa to identify the masterminds. Or else they will continue the
conspiracy to eliminate Awami League,” said Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury.
Gaffar Chowdhury said Sheikh Hasina has been able to give Awami
League a firm footing. That’s why the killers started a new conspiracy
to kill Sheikh Hasina. Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman, her
advisor Haris Chowdhury and Jamaat’s Mostafizur Rahman were behind the
attack of August 21, 2004, he added.
Amir Hossain Amu said the attacks on Sheikh Hasina on August 21 was
carried out under the government’s patronization in a way of
Mostaque-Zia clique that wanted to turn Bangladesh into a neo-Pakistan
by killing Father of the Nation.
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AUGUST 21-DISCUSSION-TWO LAST
Information Minister Hasan Mahmud termed the killing of August 21
as a planned act. On that day, the grenade attack was carried out to
kill the then leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina and other party
leaders aimed at making the Awami League bankrupt.
“That incident took place in broad daylight . . . at that time
Sheikh Hasina was the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and the
President of the largest political party in Bangladesh,” he added.
The Information Minister said, “The defeated forces of 1971, who
did not want the independence of this country, had killed the Father
of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975. On
August 21, 2004 with the direct help of Hawa Bhaban, a grenade attack
was carried out to kill Sheikh Hasina. Everything has been unearthed
through investigation afterwards”.
“The grenade attack was carried out under the direction of Tarique
Rahman and Khaleda-Nizami government directly helped in this regard.
The then mayor of Dhaka Sadek Hossain Khoka destroyed evidences from
the spot”, he said.
“A military officer of that time, Major Shams, was fired for
leaving an unexploded grenade as evidence of the incident. ‘Joj Mia
drama’ was also arranged. Even a condemnation motion was not allowed
to be placed in parliament,” he added.
“Ziaur Rahman had killed hundreds of freedom fighters and army
officers and later, Khaleda Zia could not come out of the politics of
killing and coup. In continuation of this, grenade attack was carried
out on August 21,” said the minister.
“It was not the only attempt on the life of Sheikh Hasina . . . but
attempts were made for 19 times to kill her,” he said.
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