Terming the “Zia family” as killers, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday alleged that Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique were involved with the 21 August killings and Ziaur Rahman was involved with the killing of Bangabandhu.
“There is no doubt that Khaleda Zia, her son and the members of her cabinet were directly involved with the attack of 21 August,” Hasina said while addressing a programme in the capital marking the 10th anniversary of the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally that killed 24 and maimed hundreds.
Hasina said although it was the government’s duty to help the victims of the attack and take initiatives to recover evidence, the then BNP government did the exact opposite.
“They ruined evidence by washing the area with water right after the attack had been carried out and hurled tear gas canisters on our activists, who were helping the victims,” she said.
The premier, who was then the opposition leader, also alleged that they had not been allowed to raise the issue in parliament.
“Instead, the then prime minister Khaleda Zia said I had carried the grenades in my vanity bag and exploded them in the middle of the rally,” she said.
She also said Tarique Rahman used to live at his in-laws in Dhanmondi; but just 20 days before the grenade attack, he had started living in a house inside the cantonment. “We have a number of proofs, including him shifting his house.”
Commenting that militancy grew up during the BNP tenure, the premier said it was during that time that the militants were allowed to move around the country freely.
“We saw the rise of Bangla Bhai [JMB leader Siddiqur Rahman] at that time. They used to hang people in trees after killing,” she said.