Staff Reporter :
The 20th anniversary of the devastating August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka passed without any formal commemoration on Thursday. This marks a stark departure from previous years when the event was observed with elaborate programs across the country.
The attack, which occurred in 2004 under the BNP-Jamaat alliance government, targeted Sheikh Hasina, the then leader of the opposition and later prime minister for 15 years. The assault left 24 dead, including Ivy Rahman, the Awami League’s women affairs secretary and wife of former President Zillur Rahman. Over 300 others were injured, with Sheikh Hasina herself suffering permanent hearing impairment.
In a significant legal development 14 years after the attack, a Dhaka court sentenced 19 individuals to death, including Lutfozzaman Babar, the state minister for home affairs during the BNP government. Additionally, Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, along with 18 others, received life imprisonment sentences for their alleged roles in the attack.
This year’s absence of commemoration comes in the wake of a student-led movement that ousted the Awami League government, leaving the political landscape in flux. Notably, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Sheikh Hasina’s son, who has been vocal on social media since his mother’s resignation, remained silent on the occasion.
Despite the lack of formal programs, the memory of those who lost their lives in the attack lingers. Among the dead were Sheikh Hasina’s personal security guard Lance Corporal (retd) Mahbubur Rashid, and several other party members and supporters. High-profile survivors, including Amir Hossain Amu, Obaidul Quader, and Suranjit Sengupta, continue to bear the physical and emotional scars of the attack.