The 19th anniversary of the grenade attack on an anti-terrorism rally of then-opposition party Awami League in Dhaka on August 21, 2004 is being observed on Monday.
On this day in 2004 when the BNP-Jamaat coalition government was in power, this ghastly attack was carried out on a rally in front of the Awami League’s Bangabandhu Avenue office.
Party leaders and activists formed a human shield to protect Sheikh Hasina, then the opposition leader and the current prime minister.
Sheikh Hasina miraculously survived the attack. As Sheikh Hasina, the main target of the perpetrators, survived, 12 rounds of bullets were shot at her car while she was hurriedly being taken away to a safer place.
However, the bullets could not penetrate the bulletproof vehicle carrying Bangabandhu's daughter. Immediately after the attack, Sheikh Hasina was cordoned off in a car and taken to her residence, Sudha Sadan, in Dhanmondi.
However, 24 people, including then-women affairs secretary of the Awami League and wife of late president Zillur Rahman, were killed and over 500 others were injured in the attack, with many of them becoming crippled for life.
The others killed in the attack included then-opposition leader's personal security guard Lance Corporal (retd) Mahbubur Rashid, Abul Kalam Azad, Rezina Begum, Nasir Uddin Sardar, Atique Sarkar, Abdul Kuddus Patwari, Aminul Islam Moazzem, Belal Hossain, Mamun Mridha, Ratan Shikdar, Liton Munshi, Hasina Mamtaz Reena, Sufia Begum, Rafiqul Islam, Mostaque Ahmed Sentu, Md Hanif, Abul Kashem, Zahed Ali, Momen Ali, M Shamsuddin and Ishaque Miah.
Prominent among those who suffered serious splinter injuries included Sheikh Hasina, Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Suranjit Sengupta, Obaidul Quader, Advocate Sahara Khatun, Mohammad Hanif, Prof Abu Sayeed and AFM Bahauddin Nasim.
Fear and terror engulfed the entire capital after the grenade attack. Condemnation and grief of this massacre spread across the country and abroad as well.
After the attack, when Awami League leaders and activists were busy trying to save themselves and others, police charged the rally fiercely with batons and teargas. At the same time, all traces of the carnage were destroyed.
The BNP-Jamaat government even staged a “drama with Joj Mia” to cover up the incident with state sponsorship and direct support.
The ruling Awami League and its associate bodies as well as social-cultural and professional organizations have planned elaborate programs to mark the anniversary.
Tributes will be paid to the grenade attack martyrs by placing wreaths at the altar built in their memory in front of the party's Bangabandhu Avenue office at 10am. The Awami League will organize a discussion at its central office later.
Awami Swechasebak League will pay homage and hold a torch-light vigil at 5.21pm recalling the memories of the August 21 martyrs. Krishak League will hold a discussion and doa mahfil.
On August 23, Mohila Awami League will hold a discussion on the death anniversary of Ivy Rahman, one of the martyrs of the August 21 attack and former president of the organization.
On August 24, the Awami League, its Dhaka South and North units, and associate bodies will pay tributes to Ivy Rahman by placing wreaths at her grave at Banani graveyard at 9am.
Jatiya Sramik League will hold a memorial meeting in the Tejgaon Industrial Area at 3pm marking the death anniversary of Ivy Rahman.
