August 21 grenade attack: Perpetrators to be punished: PM

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BSS, Dhaka :
Accusing the past BNP-Jamaat government and Begum Khaleda Zia and her elder son Tarique Rahman of perpetrating the August 21, 2004 gruesome grenade attack on an Awami League rally in the capital, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday asserted that punishment would be inflicted to those responsible for the heinous attack.
“It was not possible to carry out such attack without patronisation of the BNP-Jamaat government,” she said while addressing a memorial discussion marking the 15th anniversary of the August 21 grenade attack at Krishibid Institute of Bangladesh (KIB) here.
The premier went on saying that “It (the patronization of BNP-Jamaat in the grenade attack) has become a truth that was proved by evidences and we have got a verdict upon filing a case.”
The prime minister said that incidents of staging Joj Mia drama, destroying evidences of the grenade attack, barring the AL volunteers from going to the rooftops of adjoining buildings around the rally venue, subjecting the party leaders and activists to torture by charging batons and throwing teargas shells to help the attackers to flee from the scene and conducting an  
 judicial inquiry bore testimony to evidences of BNP-Jamaat’s patronization in the grenade attack.
“Now, it will go to the higher court as death reference and we hoped to get the justice. Regrettably, the party leaders, workers and supporters who were killed in the attack would not return anymore,” she said.
Twenty-four people, including Bangladesh Mohila Awami League President Ivy Rahman, were killed and over 500 others suffered injuries in the attack and many of them became crippled for life, the primer said.
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