ZCZC
BSS-05
PM-AUGUST 21-MOURNING 2
The premier 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.
She said she heard that an attempt was supposed to be made to carry out
such an attack on a milad mahfil on August 15 of the same year.
Sheikh Hasina referred to some remarks of Khaleda Zia and her party
leaders, and staying her son Tarique Zia in his father-in-law’s residence at
Dhanmondi road No. 5 in the capital and planting of twin bombs — one 76-kg
and another 84-kg — in Kotalipara before the grisly grenade attack.
“Begum Zia had said that the Awami will not be able to go to power in 100
years and I would never be the prime minister or even the leader of the
opposition in future, while her elder son stayed his father-in-law’s
residence in Dhanmondi for nine months consecutively,” she said.
She said: “Then the attack was carried out to kill me and eliminate the
Awami League.”
After the attack on that day, she said, police lobbed tear gas and resorted
to lathi charge on AL leaders and worker instead of rescuing the dead and the
injured persons.
“The aim of this was to allow attackers to flee without any hindrance,”
she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the BNP high-ups rebuked a DGFI official and other
police officers who wanted know about the incident.
She alleged that even some of the BNP-Jamaat-backed doctors did not attend
the injured AL leaders and workers at the hospitals.
“But, I took initiatives to rescue the injured and ensure their treatment
through sending them to different hospitals,” she said.
Holding the BNP government responsible for destroying the evidence of the
grenade attack, Sheikh Hasina said the attackers left the scene under the
cover of the law enforcement agencies and they damaged the unexploded
grenades and helped the grenade suppliers to leave the country.
“We were not allowed to utter a single word or discuss the matter in
parliament. Even we were barred to bring any motion in Jatiya Sangsad to
condemn the attack,” she said.
The prime minister said rather, the BNP ministers in parliament tried to
make a joke of the incident and said: “I carried the grenades in my vanity
bag to stage the attack.”
Recalling the terrific scene of grenade attack, Sheikh Hasina, 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.”
MORE/SH/AKM 1258hrs