Zia’s Family Was Involved In The Grenade Attack Of August 21, 2004: PM

She held the family of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman responsible for both the Aug 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka and the assassination of Bangladesh’s founding father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in 1975.

The Prime Minister was speaking at a rally after placing wreaths at the memorial of martyrs of the gruesome grenade attack at Banbabandhu Avenue here this afternoon. The makeshift memorial was set up in front of the Awami League office at Bangabandhu Avenue where the militants lobbed 13 grenades on the Awami League peace rally on this day in 2004

She barely escaped the attack, designed to eliminate her, but 24 people were killed and over 500 others injured. Many others lost their limbs and sustained permanent physical injuries.

“There’s no doubt that the then BNP-Jamaat coalition government, the BNP chief, her son and ministers are directly involved with this conspiracy (Aug 21 attack),” said the Awami League chief .

On that day, Awami League activists shielded Hasina from the grenades. Later, investigation revealed that the Awami League president was the main target.

“If you look closely, you’ll see that the then prime minister (Khaleda), her son, and Cabinet members were involved with the Aug 21 incident in the same way as Zia was with the 1975 incident (Bangabandhu’s assassination),” claimed Hasina.

Khaleda’s elder son Tarique was accused in a case over the attack, along with 29 others, after further investigation but the BNP claimed it was “politically motivated”.

Others accused include former minister Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed and former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar.

The BNP refutes the prime minister’s allegation that its founder, former military dictator Zia was involved in Bangabandhu’s assassination.

“A murderous family wants to destroy the independence gained through the sacrifice of 3 million lives... Their only task was to kill people and practice corruption…” she said of Zia’s family.

Recalling the Aug 21 attack, she said, “No measures were taken over the incident. All the evidence was destroyed.”

The injured were not taken to hospitals, she claimed, adding that the BNP-affiliated doctors were absent from work at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital on that day.

“Khaleda Zia went to see Ivy Rahman (injured in the attack) at the CMH on Aug 23 or 24. Ivy’s children were locked away in a room [ahead of the visit]… no-one was allowed there.

“Then Khaleda visited her, took a picture and she (Ivy) was pronounced dead shortly after,” PM said.

Sheikh Hasina, then the opposition leader, said she was not given the floor when she wanted to discuss the matter in Parliament.

Sheikh Hasina first placed a floral wreath at the memorial as the Prime Minister and then another as the Awami League president. Cabinet members, PM's advisors, senior leaders of Awami League and 14-party combine and family members of the martyrs and those injured in the incident were present.

Deputy Leader of the Jatiya Sangsad Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury presided over the meeting while general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam also spoke.