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2004 Dhaka grenade attack
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2004 Dhaka grenade attack
The 2004 Dhaka grenade attack took place at an anti-terrorism rally organised by Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue (now Shaheed Abrar Fahad Avenue) on 21 August 2004. The attack left 24 dead and more than 500 injured. The attack was carried out at 5:22 PM after Sheikh Hasina, the then leader of opposition had finished addressing a crowd of 20,000 people from the back of a truck used as the stage. Hasina also sustained some injuries in the attack.
Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina had been speaking at a public meeting in Bangabandhu Avenue, protesting against blasts against AL workers in Sylhet. The rally drew a crowd of 20,000 people. As Hasina finished her speech, a total of 13 grenades were thrown into the crowd from the rooftops of nearby buildings, killing at least 16 people on the spot, later the death toll reached 24. The blast left more than 500 injured. Among the dead were Hasina's bodyguard, Mahbubur Rahman and Awami League Women's Affairs Secretary Ivy Rahman, who died from her injuries three days later.
The Awami League called for a nationwide hartal on 23 and 24 August 2004 following the incident. Khaleda Zia, the then Prime Minister of Bangladesh condemned the attacks, and also vowed a thorough probe to catch the culprits. An intercity train was burned down by Awami League activists on strike in Bhairab. Awami Leagues activists also organized protests in Chittagong and furled black flags at the sight of the attack. A funeral service for the victims at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque was attended by 20 thousand people. Protestors in Dhaka were attacked by members of Bangladesh Police and Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, the workers wing of Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal activists also attacked and injured six members of the press.
President of the United States, George W. Bush, expressed "shock" at the attack and conveyed his message to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Opposition leader Sheikh Hasina through the Secretary of State of the United States, Colin Powell. The attack was also condemned by the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden.
Bangladesh Police refused to register any criminal case filed by Bangladesh Awami League over the attack and only registered a general diary. The then BNP led government initially refused to hand over the bodies of the victims, according to Hasina. Investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Interpol made repeated visits to Bangladesh to provide technical support. The Government also tried to implicate Mokhlesur Rahman, an Awami League activist, and Shaibal Saha Partha. They were arrested by Bangladesh Police. Shaibal Saha Partha and Joj Miah were tortured in custody and forced to give a false confessional statement. An investigation by the Supreme Court Bar Association accused the government of destroying evidence. The government was also criticised for hurriedly burying two unidentified dead bodies from the terror attack in the middle of the night.
In 2004, the 4-Party Alliance's coalition government assigned the Crime Investigation Department of the police to foresee the investigation. They came up with a story that some Joj Miah, also known as Jamal Ahmed from Noakhali district, along with 14 other criminals of Seven Star terrorist group of Subrata Bain attacked the Awami League rally. They met at Moghbazar before the attack, and rehearsed at a remote island before the attack. The government of Bangladesh formed a one-man judicial probe led by Justice Joynul Abedin. The Awami League rejected the commission which blamed the attack on a neighboring country. The Daily Star described Abedin as a "shame" for the judiciary in Bangladesh.
On 26 June 2005, Joj Mia, a petty criminal, confessed his involvement in the crime under section 164, to the magistrate. The story collapsed following investigative journalism who discovered holes in the official story.
In 2007, after the military-backed government assumed office, many of the BNP and Awami League leaders were rounded up by the government agencies, and fresh investigation into the case was launched.
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2004 Dhaka grenade attack
The 2004 Dhaka grenade attack took place at an anti-terrorism rally organised by Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue (now Shaheed Abrar Fahad Avenue) on 21 August 2004. The attack left 24 dead and more than 500 injured. The attack was carried out at 5:22 PM after Sheikh Hasina, the then leader of opposition had finished addressing a crowd of 20,000 people from the back of a truck used as the stage. Hasina also sustained some injuries in the attack.
Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina had been speaking at a public meeting in Bangabandhu Avenue, protesting against blasts against AL workers in Sylhet. The rally drew a crowd of 20,000 people. As Hasina finished her speech, a total of 13 grenades were thrown into the crowd from the rooftops of nearby buildings, killing at least 16 people on the spot, later the death toll reached 24. The blast left more than 500 injured. Among the dead were Hasina's bodyguard, Mahbubur Rahman and Awami League Women's Affairs Secretary Ivy Rahman, who died from her injuries three days later.
The Awami League called for a nationwide hartal on 23 and 24 August 2004 following the incident. Khaleda Zia, the then Prime Minister of Bangladesh condemned the attacks, and also vowed a thorough probe to catch the culprits. An intercity train was burned down by Awami League activists on strike in Bhairab. Awami Leagues activists also organized protests in Chittagong and furled black flags at the sight of the attack. A funeral service for the victims at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque was attended by 20 thousand people. Protestors in Dhaka were attacked by members of Bangladesh Police and Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, the workers wing of Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal activists also attacked and injured six members of the press.
President of the United States, George W. Bush, expressed "shock" at the attack and conveyed his message to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Opposition leader Sheikh Hasina through the Secretary of State of the United States, Colin Powell. The attack was also condemned by the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden.
Bangladesh Police refused to register any criminal case filed by Bangladesh Awami League over the attack and only registered a general diary. The then BNP led government initially refused to hand over the bodies of the victims, according to Hasina. Investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Interpol made repeated visits to Bangladesh to provide technical support. The Government also tried to implicate Mokhlesur Rahman, an Awami League activist, and Shaibal Saha Partha. They were arrested by Bangladesh Police. Shaibal Saha Partha and Joj Miah were tortured in custody and forced to give a false confessional statement. An investigation by the Supreme Court Bar Association accused the government of destroying evidence. The government was also criticised for hurriedly burying two unidentified dead bodies from the terror attack in the middle of the night.
In 2004, the 4-Party Alliance's coalition government assigned the Crime Investigation Department of the police to foresee the investigation. They came up with a story that some Joj Miah, also known as Jamal Ahmed from Noakhali district, along with 14 other criminals of Seven Star terrorist group of Subrata Bain attacked the Awami League rally. They met at Moghbazar before the attack, and rehearsed at a remote island before the attack. The government of Bangladesh formed a one-man judicial probe led by Justice Joynul Abedin. The Awami League rejected the commission which blamed the attack on a neighboring country. The Daily Star described Abedin as a "shame" for the judiciary in Bangladesh.
On 26 June 2005, Joj Mia, a petty criminal, confessed his involvement in the crime under section 164, to the magistrate. The story collapsed following investigative journalism who discovered holes in the official story.
In 2007, after the military-backed government assumed office, many of the BNP and Awami League leaders were rounded up by the government agencies, and fresh investigation into the case was launched.