2004 Dhaka grenade attack

2004 Dhaka Grenade Attacks
Location Bangabandhu Avenue, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Date 21 August 2004
17:22 (UTC+06:00)
Target Awami League rally in response to 2004 Shah Jalal bombing[1]
Attack type
 Grenade
Deaths 24
Non-fatal injuries
 Over 300

The 2004 Dhaka grenade attack took place at an anti-terrorism rally organised by Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue on 21 August 2004. The attack left 24 dead and more than 300 injured. The attack was carried out at 5.22 PM after Sheikh Hasina the leader of opposition finished addressing a crowd of 20,000 people from the back of a truck.[2] The attacks targeted Awami League president Sheikh Hasina. Hasina was injured in the attack.[3]

Events and casualties

Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina had been speaking at a public meeting on Bangabandhu Avenue, protesting blasts against the party's workers in Sylhet. The rally drew a crowd of 20,000 people.[4] 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 spot, later the death toll reached 24. The blast left more than 200 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.[5]

The Awami League called for a nationwide hartal on 23 and 24 August 2004 following the incident. Begum Khaleda Zia, then Prime Minister of Bangladesh condemned the attacks, and also vowed a thorough probe to catch the culprits.[6]

Investigation

After the attack, a sizable hue and cry were created both nationally and globally. Investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation came to Bangladesh with a view to investigating the gruesome attack.

Initial investigation

In 2004, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance government assigned Crime Investigation Department of 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.[7]

On 26 June 2005 Joj Mia confessed his involvement in the crime under section 164, to the magistrate.

Fresh investigation

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.

After almost one year, in November 2007, Mufti Hannan, a militant leader from Gopalganj who was arrested by the BNP-led government in 2005, revealed that the attack was operated by the militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami of which he was a leader. He also admitted that he got support from Maulana Tazuddin, brother of BNP leader and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu while coordinating the attack.[8]

According to his statement, Abdus Salam Pintu had knowledge of the attack.

In 2008, after the detailed investigation, the then CID high official Jabed Patwary concluded that the attack was aimed at killing Sheikh Hasina and was guided by the common grievance of both Mufti Hannan and Abdus Salam Pintu against Sheikh Hasina for her role in “subduing” Islam. The investigation report mentioned that, Abdus Salam Pintu was personally responsible for the attack.

Further investigation

In 2009, Awami League came to office and decided to launch a further investigation into the incident and appointed a retired CID official Abdul Kahar Akhand as the person in charge.

In the same year, Abdul Majed Bhat alias Yusuf Bhat gave a confessional statement with the details regarding the source of grenade used in the attack. He claimed that Muzaffar Ahmad Shah of Tehrik-e-Jihad Islami (TEJI) gave the grenades to Maulana Tajuddin to send those to Indian militant groups. Tajuddin, instead of sending those to India, kept those with him. According to Yusuf Bhat, these grenades were later handed over to Mufti Hannan to carry out the attack.[9]

After two years, in 2011, Mufti Hannan gave another confessional statement implicating many big names, mostly BNP leaders and some former officials of the government including the son of opposition leader and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu, former member of parliament Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad and some officials of the Home Ministry, police, Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence (NSI) and Prime Minister's Office (PMO) with involvement in the planning of the bombing.

In the statement, Mufti Hannan claimed that the attack was aimed at destroying the top leadership of Awami League including Sheikh Hasina, and BNP leader Tarique Rahman along with Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and the then Home Minister Lutfuzzaman Babor assured them with government support.

On 10 October 2018, a special court delivered verdicts in two cases. Top BNP leaders, Lutfozzaman Babar was given death penalty and Tarique Rahman was sentenced to life in prison on charges of killing through criminal conspiracy. Other 36 BNP leaders were also given various degrees of prison sentences. BNP rejected the verdict and carried out protests against it.[10][11]

Perpetrators

Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI) leader Mufti Abdul Hannan was arrested for the grenade attacks in 2005, September 30,[12] and was later charged in connection with it. He reportedly confessed to the attacks in November 2007.[13] He was sentenced to death in December 2008 for attempting to kill Anwar Choudhury in 2004.[14] In March 2012, the son of opposition leader and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, and 28 others were tried in absentia for their alleged involvement in the attack.[15] The supplementary charge sheets charges Huji, influential leaders of the BNP and the Jamaat, including former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu, former member of parliament Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad and some officials of the Home Ministry, police, Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence (NSI) and Prime Minister's Office (PMO) with involvement in the planning of the bombing.[16]

Cover up

Jamal Ahmed, also known as Joj Mia was coerced into giving a false confession. He was forced to implicate Seven-Star Group, led by Subrata Bain through torture by security forces during Bangladesh Nationalist Party rule.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Blasts hit Bangladesh party rally". BBC.
  2. ↑ Bhattacharjee, Partha (21 August 2014). "Back from death, only to suffer". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2014-09-20.
  3. ↑ Sultan, Tipu; Karmakar, Prasanta. "10 years of 21 August grenade attack". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  4. ↑ Adiga, Aravind (30 August 2004). "Bangladesh: A democracy is shaken". TIME. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "End of a fight - Ivy dies from her wounds after 58 hours". The Daily Star. 5 August 2004.
  6. ↑ "Bangladesh awakes in shock as blast toll hits 18". The Age.
  7. ↑ "Joj Mia gives deposition". en.prothomalo.com. Prothom Alo. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  8. ↑ "Huji boss Hannan admits to Aug 21 grenade attack". Bangladesh News. 2 November 2007. Archived from the original on 16 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  9. ↑ Dipu, Sarwar. "Pakistani militant Yusuf Bhat's 'Bangladesh Mission'". dhakatribune.com. Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  10. ↑ "Grenade attack in 2004 was designed to 'obliterate' Awami League, says judge". bdnews24.com. 2018-10-10. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
  11. ↑ Shakhawat Liton, Chaitanya Chandra Halder, Wasim Bin Habib and Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary (2018-10-11). "August 21 attack: 'State-backed crime' punished". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
  12. ↑ "Mufti Hannan arrested". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  13. ↑ "Huji boss Hannan admits to Aug 21 grenade attack". Bangladesh News. 2 November 2007. Archived from the original on 16 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  14. ↑ Uttam Khan (23 December 2008). "Three Bangladeshis to hang for attack on British envoy". The Age. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  15. ↑ "Dhaka court indicts ex-premier's son for 2004 grenade attack". Deccan Herald. 18 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  16. ↑ Tipu, Md Sanaul Islam. "Prosecutor: AL grenade attack cases may see verdict by December". dhakatribune.com. Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  17. ↑ "Joj Mia gives deposition". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
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