Nation pays tribute to Holey Artisan victims

People from all walks of life on Sunday paid tributes to the Holey Artisan cafe attack victims by placing wreaths at the site of the country’s deadliest terrorist incident in capital’s Gulshan diplomatic zone, reports BSS.

They included the victims’ family members and friends, foreigners, political leaders and different socio-cultural organizations.

The site of the Holey Artisan Bakery and O’ Kitchen restaurant, where 22 people, mostly foreigners, were killed in a terrorist attack two years back, was open for visitors for four hours from 10 am today for paying respect to their memories.

Armed militants stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery and took several people hostage back on July 1, 2016.

The standoff ended in a bloody operation 22 hours after, resulting in death of 20 hostages and two police officers – – Assistant commissioner (AC) Rabiul Islam and Banani police station officer-in-charge Salauddin.

Apart from the families, friends and close relatives, people from all walks of life, embassies and international agencies, Police Service Association and Bangladesh Awami League (AL) also paid homage to the innocent victims in the Dhaka cafe attack by the operatives of the neo-Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned militant organization.

Awami League General Secretary and also Roads Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, AL Organizing Secretary Khaled Mahmud Chowdhury, Director General of elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Benazir Ahmed, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia and senior police officials placed wreaths there.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) also inaugurated a sculpture title “Dipta Shapath” in front of Gulshan police station in the memory of the two police officers who had to embrace death to save the innocent people kept hostage by the terrorists inside the Dhaka cafe on the fateful night on July 1, 2016.