It was Hawa Bhaban plot

It was a long, dark plot. A chilling conspiracy was getting final touches in an eerie August of 2004, a month that brings to mind the memories of a past bloodbath. The plot for a high-profile assassination was awaiting approval, again. On August 14: At Hawa Bhaban -- the alternative powerhouse of the BNP-led coalition government. At least nin...

Why Sheikh Hasina was attacked on 21st August: A Pakistani militant's 'Bangladesh Mission'

One of the biggest militant attacks in Bangladesh’s history was the grenade attack on Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s rally at Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004. The then opposition leader and now prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, had become the target of a terrorist attack on an anti-terrorism rally. Twenty-four people were...

The Cycle of Conspiracy

Syed Badrul Ahsan: What occurred on Aug 21, 2004 was part of a pattern set in motion years back in Bangladesh’s history. The sinister objective was the elimination of the leadership of the Awami League and, by extension, the mutilation of national history. Observe the cycle of conspiracy. In the late 1960s, the Ayub Khan regime in Pakis...

Darkest Chapter of Bangladesh Politics

Hiren Pandit: Prime Minister (the then Leader of the Opposition) Sheikh Hasina and leaders of the Awami League miraculously survived a horrific grenade attack at an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004. However, 24 Awami League leaders and activists including Ivy Rahman were killed. Hundreds were injured. Many have been crippled forever. Some ...

Atrocities of grenade attack must be condemned

Pranab Kumar Panday: August is considered the darkest chapter in the history of Bangladesh as it was the month in which the two worst incidents took place. On August 15, 1975, traitors assassinated Bangabandhu with most of his family members in a domestic and international conspiracy. The main objective of the assassins on that day was to erase...

August 21: A tragedy within a tragedy

Dr. Rashid Askari: The terrible killing of Bangabandhu along with his family members (except for two daughters) and his nearest relatives on the fateful August 15 night in 1975 is one of the biggest tragedies in human history. We call this pre-dawn killing 'August tragedy'. But the tragedy did not end there. It was again in another August (2004...

21st August 2004: The Day When Humanity Stood Ashamed

21st of August, another dark August day of Bangladesh's politics. On this day, in 2004, grenades and bullets were deployed in a crowded area of Dhaka city for assassinating the entire top leadership of Bangladesh Awami League; the day when the Central Office of Awami League at Bangabandhu Avenue became a scene of carnage and mayhem. During the ...

21 August Grenade Attack: Web of Conspiracy

21 August Grenade Attack: Web of Conspiracy

Lesson from August grenade attack

Sharif Shahab Uddin: There have been quite a number of reasons to believe that military dictator Ziaur Rahman was engaged in the conspiracy of assassinating Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman while his son Tarique Zia was the main architect of 21 August grenade attack to kill Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangabandhu and th...

We weren't even allowed to talk about the grenade attack: HPM Sheikh Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina believes the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami coalition government's efforts to stifle any attempt by the Awami League to speak out against the grenade attack in 2004 points to their 'direct involvement' in the plot. Hasina made the remarks at a discussion organised by the Awami League, commemorating the 16th anniversary of the ...

Khaleda Zia had a condolence message ready: HPM Sheikh Hasina

Sheikh Hasina has said her arch political rival Khaleda Zia had a condolence message ready being certain she would die in the Aug 21, 2004 attack, which could not be carried out without the support of the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami government. Hasina, the then opposition leader and now the prime minister, recounted the grisly attack on its 15th annive...