August 21 Grenade Attack Was Aimed To Frustrate Our Independence: PM

"The aimd of the August 21 was also to give killing, conspiracy, militancy, corruption and misrule a permanent shape, destroy the spirit of the War of Liberation and make Bangladesh leaderless," she said in a message on the eve of the day.

Sheikh Hasina also said although it was the moral responsibility of a government to bring the killers to book, the then BNP-Jamaat government tried its level best to protect them.

"Even the then government helped a number of attackers to flee the country and destroyed the evidence of the incident. In the name of investigation,they also tried to divert the heinous crime to other direction," she added.

Citing the investigation report, the Prime Minister said truth could not be suppressed. "Many of the players belonging to BNP-Jamaat alliance were directly involved in the grisly attack. It is now clear who made the blueprint sitting in which bhaban to carry out the attack," she added.

Sheikh Hasina hoped that the killing, terrorism and militancy would end in the country for ever, and rule of law would be established after the holding of trial of the attackers, planners, orderers and patrons.

Terming the August 21 a 'day of black chapter' in the country's political history, Sheikh Hasina said, "The killers carried out the barbaric attack in broad daylight on an anti-militancy rally of Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue to kill me under the patronage of the then BNP-Jamaat alliance government".

"Our party leaders and workers by forming a human-shield saved me from the series of grenade attacks," she recalled.

The Prime Minister said she narrowly survived the attack due to divine blessing. "But some 24 leaders and workers including president of Mohila Awami League Ivy Rahman embraced martyrdom and over 500 AL leaders and workers, journalists and security personnel were injured," she said, adding many of the injured are now leading a painful life with splinters.

Sheikh Hasina urged all to pay highest tributes to the martyrs of August 21 by building a peaceful and safe country as well as a terrorism-free democratic political environment.

-Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)