PM pays tribute to August 21 grenade attack victims

Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on Monday paid tribute to the victims of August 21 grenade attack by placing wreaths at a makeshift memorial built in front of Awami League’s central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital.

Later, she also addressed a rally in front of the party’s central office.

On this day in 2004 during the BNP-Jamaat coalition government, this ghastly attack was carried out on a peaceful anti-terrorism rally in front of AL’s central office.

The party leaders and activists formed a human shield to protect the then opposition leader and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina miraculously survived the infernal grenade attack that day. As Sheikh Hasina, the main target of the assassins, survived, 12 rounds of bullets were shot at her car while she was hurriedly being taken away to safer place from the scene.

However, the bullets could not penetrate the bulletproof vehicle carrying Bangabandhu's daughter. Immediately after the attack, Sheikh Hasina was cordoned off in a car and taken to her the then residence Sudha Sadan in Dhanmondi.

But, 24 people including the then Women Affairs Secretary of Awami League and wife of late President Zillur Rahman were killed and over 500 others injured in the attack and many of them became crippled for life.