Hasina calls 2004 Dhaka grenade attack one of Bangladesh’s ‘most brutal, shameful’ chapters

Dhaka: Marking the 22nd anniversary of the 2004 deadly grenade attack on an Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina described the tragedy as one of the most “brutal and shameful” chapters in the country’s history.

The Awami League mentioned that during the attack, twenty-four leaders and activists of the party and its associate bodies were killed, while over 300 others suffered splinter injuries.

Among those killed were Ivy Rahman, then Mohila Awami League chief and also the wife of former Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman.

According to the party, many of those injured became crippled for life, while Hasina, then opposition leader, narrowly escaped the attack with ear injuries, from which she continues to suffer.

The Awami League alleged that the “barbaric attack” on August 21, 2004, was carried out by terrorist group Harkat Ul Jihad (HuJI) at the behest of the then Bangladesh Nationalist Party-Jamaat-e-Islami coalition government.

In a statement shared by the Awami League on its social media platform X, Hasina recalled the attack, saying it was aimed at destroying democratic politics in Bangladesh.

“The attack sought to destroy our democratic politics and once again bring the politics of confrontation into the mainstream – a trajectory that had begun with the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family on August 15. We are subjected to propaganda claiming that we were responsible for destroying democracy in Bangladesh,” Hasina stated.

Urging the younger generation to examine Bangladesh’s history objectively, she said, “I want to tell the new generation: study history objectively. Look at who carried out the August 15 assassination. Who killed the four national leaders inside a secured prison? Who seized state power illegally by establishing military rule? Who enacted the Indemnity Ordinance? Who formed the so-called “King’s Party”? Who sought to eliminate political opponents through grenade attacks in an attempt to consolidate their grip on power?

The former Prime Minister further alleged that the forces favouring an anti-independence political agenda had regained ground in Bangladesh following August 5, 2024

“Those who have repeatedly sought to steer Bangladesh along an anti-independence political trajectory re-emerged on the political stage after August 5, 2024. Deceiving the people and conspiring to assassinate me and destroy the Awami League were the principal objectives of August 5. Further evidence of this is the killing of numerous leaders and activists of our party across the country since August 5, along with physical attacks and baseless cases brought against them,” Hasina mentioned.

She reaffirmed that the Awami League would remain steadfast in their determination to overcome all obstacles and build the “Sonar Bangla” envisioned by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — “a secular, modern, and welfare-oriented Bangladesh.”

IANS