Bangladesh
2004 Grenade Attack 19th anniversary of Aug 21 Dhaka grenade attack today
Dhaka, August 21: Today is bloody horrible August 21. August 21 is the terrible day of one of the most brutal massacres in the history of Bangladesh. Today is the 19th anniversary of infernal Dhaka grenade attack.
On this day in 2004 during the BNP-Jamaat coalition government's regime, the unprecedented grenade attack was carried out on a peaceful anti-terror rally of the Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital. A monstrous terror of violence through grenade attacks infects humanity. The then opposition leader and current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was attacked.
Awami League President Sheikh Hasina was the victim of a terrorist attack while protesting against terrorism in the street in front of the central office at Bangabandhu Avenue. In that incident, party leaders and activists protected Sheikh Hasina by creating human shields, but a total of 24 leader-activists, including Awami League's women's affairs secretary and late president Zillur Rahman's wife Ivy Rahman, lost their lives due to the grenade attack.
Later, in the judgment of the grenade attack trial, the then ruling BNP coalition government's ministers and government officials were found to be involved. The attack was carried out with the direct support of the BNP-Jamaat government.
Today, on the 19th anniversary of this heinous grenade attack in history, the Bengali nation will remember the victims of the attack with respect. Various political, social and cultural organizations including Awami League have undertaken programmes to observe the day.
At that time, BNP-Jamaat-led four-party coalition government was in power. On that day, the then opposition party Awami League organized a peace rally 'against terrorism, militancy and corruption'. Today's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was the chief guest. Ahead of the anti-terrorist peace rally, grenades were pelted aiming at Hasina as soon as she finished her speech on a makeshift truck platform set up on Bangabandhu Avenue. Grenades began to explode one after another with a loud sound. Before realizing anything, the gathering place turned into a pile of human flesh and blood in the horror of the explosion of 13 grenades. Bangabandhu Avenue turned into a death pit.
With the impact of the splinters, various parts of people including hands and legs were scattered around. Bloody coagulated bodies were seen scattered around the conference truck. Dead bodies and blood floated down the sloping road in front of Bangabandhu Avenue. The shoes and sandals of the victims were scattered. In no time the entire area was engulfed in smoke. There were screams of hundreds of people. The scene was indescribably tragic with the screams of the dead who are desperately trying to survive.
On that day, every hospital in the capital did not have a place to treat the injured. Sheikh Hasina miraculously survived the infernal grenade attack.
