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Published on August 21, 2015
"A party which can carry out such brutality is sufficient to prove that the party at all doesn't believe in democracy and human rights of the people," she said, adding the actions taken by the BNP government following the grenade attack had made it clear that they were behind the heinous incident which claimed 24 lives and injured hundred others.
The Prime Minister was speaking at a rally after placing wreaths at the memorial of martyrs of the gruesome grenade attack on August 21, 2004 on Bangabandhu Avenue here this afternoon.
The makeshift memorial was set up by Bangladesh Awami League in front of its Bangabandhu Avenue central office where the militants lobbed 13 grenades on a peaceful rally of the party on this day in 2004.
After the grenade attack, the BNP government barred us from filing any case with police and even bringing out mourning procession. The treasury bench in parliament rejected our motion for discussion on the issue in parliament, she said, adding: "BNP members sarcastically put the blame on me that I carried those grenades and hurled those at people."
"BNP's founder and former military ruler Ziaur Rahman was linked with the brutal killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975. Similarly, his wife Khaleda Zia and son Tarique Zia were involved in the grenade attack on August 21, 2004," Sheikh Hasina said.
Expressing her government's firm stance to give punishment to the perpetrators of the grenade attack, the prime minister said such incident would happen again and again if the culprits were not punished.
The killers of 1971 and 1975, the perpetrators of grenade attack on August 21, 2004, countrywide bomb blasts in 2005 and culprits of vandalism and atrocities in 2013 and 2015 are from the same group and faith, as they don't want to build a prosperous and secular Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina first placed a floral wreath at the memorial and then flanked by leaders of Awami League, she, as president of the party, placed another wreath. 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.
A minute's silence was observed in memory of those killed in the grenade attack while a munajat was also offered seeking peace of the departed souls. After speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister met relatives of the victims of the grenade attack.
Sheikh Hasina said Awami League arranged the rally in front of the party office on August 21, 2004 for peace and in protest against terrorist activities of the militants across the country including an attack on the then British high commissioner at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (R) in Sylhet.
"But the killers swooped on us committing such a crime in broad daylight which the people of the country never saw before," she said. The killers lobbed 13 grenades and escaped from the scene under the cover of law enforcement.
Referring to some remarks of Khaleda Zia a few days before the grisly grenade attack, the Prime Minister said Begum Zia had said that "I would never be the Prime Minister or even the leader of the opposition in future."
"I think Begum Zia made the statement with being fully conscious as she was planning to kill me before the next election," Sheikh Hasina said.
Holding the BNP government responsible for destroying the evidence of the grenade attack, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the attackers left the scene under the cover of the law enforcing agencies and they damaged the unexploded grenades and helped the grenade suppliers to leave the country.
To express her false, insincere display of emotion and grief, Sheikh Hasina said Khaleda Zia had visited CMH to see Ivy Rahman keeping her children and relatives in a room of the hospital under lock and key.
Recalling the terrific scene of grenade attack, the Prime Minister, who was the leader of the opposition in parliament at the time, said everything went wrong at the last moment as a photographer requested for a snap. Losing my eyeglasses it was also difficult for me to go for a shelter. But, Awami League leaders protected me creating a human shield around me and saved my life."
At this stage, Sheikh Hasina became emotional saying, "Maybe the Almighty has kept me alive for the people of Bangladesh. Had I been killed in the grenade attack on that day, Bangladesh would not have probably seen the present changes, and fate of the toiling masses would have remained unchanged."
She said it was the responsibility of the law enforcing agencies to rescue people in case of such an incident. But, instead of rescuing the people, police lobbed teargas shells on the people who came forward to save the injured people."
Pointing out the trial of the Bangabandhu murder case and trail of the war criminals, the Prime Minister said the culprits of the grenade attack on August 21, 2004, people involved in the 2001 post-election violence and arson and petrol bomb attacks in 2013 and 2015 would be brought to justice. In this regard, she said her government is trying to bring back the fugitive killers of Bangabandhu who are living in different countries.
Sheikh Hasina said despite many odds, Bangladesh is a land of huge prospects. The country is moving ahead as a role model of development, she said urging the people to remain careful about any conspiracy and work together to move forward the country.
Source: BSS
Photo: Focus Bangla News
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