CHATTOGRAM, AUG 21, 2022 (BSS) - The 18th anniversary of the deadly grenade attack on August 21 in 2004 was observed in the city and district with the demand to unmask all masterminds behind the attack and ensure their exemplary punishments.

Different political parties including Awami League (AL), its associate bodies, left-leaning parties, socio-cultural and professional organisations observed the day paying homage to the martyred of August 21 grenade attack.

The day’s programmes included hoisting of national and black flags at half-mast atop all party offices, placing of wreaths at the portraits of Bangabandhu and 24 leaders and workers of AL including Ivy Rahman, Milad Mahfil, discussion meetings, protest rally and mourning procession.

AL Chattogram city unit acting President Mahtabuddin Chowdhury, General Secretary AJM Nasir Uddin and along with leaders of the city placed wreaths this morning at the makeshift memorial at its party office at Darulfazal Market.

Chattogram city units of AL organised a discussion meeting at city’s old rail station premises this afternoon  with its Acting President Mahtabuddin Chowdhury in the chair while former city Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin addressed the discussion as the chief guest.

City AL vice presidents Advocate Ibrahim Hossain Chowdhury Babul, Khorshed Alam Sujan, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury Bachchu, AL leaders Noman Al Mahmud, Shafiq Adnan, Advocate Sheikh Iftekhar Simul Chowdhury and Chandan Dhar also addressed the meeting.

Terming the grenade attack a per-planed incident, the speakers said that the mastermind Tarique Rahman did not get capital punishment. They called upon the concerned authority  to  seek reconsideration of the verdict in the High Court and confirm the capital punishment or death sentence of mastermind Tarique Rahman. Otherwise the nation will not be free from stigma , they added.

The speakers in those meeting said that August 21 in 2004 grenade attack was aimed at making bankrupt the AL and Bangladesh in leadership and stopping democratic process and establishing autocracy and militancy.

Earlier, one  minute silence was observed at the beginning of the meeting by paying homage to the departed souls of all the martyrs including Ivy Rahman who was killed in the grenade attack on 21 August.

A special munajat was offered at Old Rail station premises, Doa and Milad Mahfil was also held seeking peace of departed souls of the martyrs.

Chattogram north and south district units AL organised the similar programme at their respective offices here today.

Different units of Bangladesh Chhatra League including Chattogram University (CU), Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), Chattogram University Veterinary and Animal Science University (CVASU), University of Chittagong Science and Technology (USTC), Chattogram and College, different colleges and private universities organised separate programmes marking the day.

On this day in 2004, a grisly grenade attack was carried out on an anti-terrorism rally organized by the Awami League at Bangabandhu Avenue that left 24 people, including AL’s women affairs president Ivy Rahman, killed and over 500 injured in that day.

Fourteen years later, a Dhaka court sentenced 19 people, including the then BNP government’s state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, to death.

Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of Khaleda Zia, and 18 others were also sentenced to life term in prison.