This July 19 file photo shows Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses a mass rally at Mugda in the capital.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday cautioned people about resurgence of militants urging them to remain alert so that the incident like August 21 grenade attack does not recur in the country.
“People have to remain cautious about the militants, Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefajat-e Islam. They will destroy the country,” she said after placing wreaths at the memorial of martyrs of the gruesome grenade attack at Banbabandhu Avenue.
“The people who can perpetrate such an attack to vanish the opposition, what they will do for the nation, do they really want any welfare of the nation?” she posed a question.
“After coming to power in 2009, Awami League didn’t take any retaliation and no such attack on the opposition occurred in the country during our tenure,” she said.
The makeshift memorial was set up in front of the Awami League office at Bangabandhu Avenue where the militants lobbed 13 grenades on an Awami League peace rally on this day in 2004.
The gruesome attack, patronised by high-ups of the then ruling government was apparently aimed to annihilate Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and current PM.
The grenade attack was carried out while the then opposition leader Hasina was addressing a party rally at Bangabandhu Avenue.
Hasina narrowly escaped death with an ear injury but 24 leaders and workers of her party were killed, including late president Zillur Rahman’s wife Ivy Rahman, and 300 others were injured.
The premier accompanied by her cabinet colleagues first placed a floral wreath at the altar. Later, along with senior party leaders she placed another wreath as the president of Awami League.
Leaders of 14-party alliance, parliament members, relatives of the martyrs, injured party leaders and workers were present to pay their tributes to the martyrs of the grenade attack.
The PM distributed cheques and saving certificates among the injured persons and relatives of the martyrs as financial assistance for treatment and education of their children.
Source: The Daily Star