Bangladesh: When grenades rained on Sheikh Hasina’s rally, but the plot failed – how she walked out alive | World News

Dhaka: As Bangladesh counts votes in historic general elections that will give sweeping power to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), memories have surfaced of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, then the Opposition leader, narrowly escaping a fatal attack with an ear injury.

On August 21, 2004, he was addressing around 20,000 Awami League supporters at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka. This “anti-terrorism” rally was intended to call for unity against increasing violence. What began as a demonstration of democratic resolve quickly turned into panic as attackers began throwing military-grade grenades into the meeting.

The explosions started around 5.25 pm (local time) when Hasina stood behind a truck to address the meeting. Among those killed was Ivy Rahman, the then Awami League Women’s Affairs Secretary and former President Zillur Rahman’s wife.

Investigators and eyewitness accounts made it clear that Hasina was the target attackers, but the conspirators failed to achieve their target as senior Awami League leaders and security personnel closed ranks around her as she boarded the truck. The grenades did not fall on the vehicle, but on both sides.

Within minutes he was escorted to his bulletproof car. Security personnel opened blank fire to disperse the crowd and open the escape route. He was carried away from the attack area amid gunfire, smoke and screams.

What Hasina said

A day later, on 22 August 2004, he addressed media persons at his residence, Sudha Sadan, and described the horrific events in words that still resonate in the political history of Bangladesh.

He said he had barely finished his speech and was preparing to resign when he “heard a huge explosion and immediately afterwards blood splattered on my body.”

While the grenades continued to explode one after another, security guard Mamum helped him get into the truck.

He added that party leaders and security guards created a human shield around him and took him into the vehicle. He also claimed that bullets hit his car “one after another.”

Hasina said grenades are generally used by the army. According to the Daily Star, he said, “The plan was clearly designed to kill me. The gunshots targeting my vehicle say so. The grace of God Almighty saved me, but 18 people have died so far.”

The attack was condemned by the world and described as an attack on the democratic foundations of Bangladesh. Investigations later pointed to the extremist group Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI).

In November 2007, HuJI’s Mufti Muhammad Hannan and two of his friends confessed before a magistrate to carrying out the attack.