August 21, 2004—a day of unprecedented barbarity recorded in the pages of Bangladesh's history, a emblem of a terrifying nightmare. On that day, no ordinary political conflict occurred; rather, the entire state apparatus was used in a brutal and ruthless political assassination. In broad daylight, in the presence of thousands of people, a grenade and gun attack was launched on an Awami League rally in the very heart of the capital. The entire blueprint of this barbaric massacre was drawn up by ministers, police, intelligence agencies, and their nurtured extremist militant organizations of the then BNP-Jamaat coalition government. Tarique Rahman was the main mastermind behind that horrifying plan. After staying abroad for 18 long years, through a new political conspiracy, he is today seated in state power.

According to neutral reports by domestic and foreign media, on that cursed afternoon of August 21, taking advantage of police guarding and inaction, JMB extremists launched one grenade after another at the rally of the then Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina. With the loud explosions of grenades and the poignant cries of hundreds of people, Bangabandhu Avenue turned into a battlefield that day. Instead of rescuing the injured, the police baton-charged and tear-gassed the crying people, assisting the assailants to escape. In world history, there is no second example of such a heinous massacre under state sponsorship.

In reality, the event of August 21 was no isolated attack. It was the unfinished mission of August 15, 1975. Their main objective was to eliminate the entire leadership by killing Sheikh Hasina, who had survived that hellish massacre of August 15. Later, from the confession of Mufti Hannan, one of the main perpetrators of this attack, it was learned that Bangabandhu's killer number one, Major Noor, was himself present at the secret planning meeting held at Hawa Bhaban. And the Arges grenades marked 'POF' (Pakistan Ordnance Factories) used in the attack had come directly from Pakistan, where Maulana Tajuddin, brother of the then Deputy Minister Abdus Salam Pintu, acted as the primary medium of supply. It is extremely painful that those who were sentenced to death or life imprisonment in the trial of this brutal murder have been released after the political regime change on August 5. This is an extreme mockery in the name of justice! On the contrary, today innocent people are being punished in the name of trial.

What happened that day? Not getting permission for a rally anywhere else, the gathering had to be organized right in front of the Awami League party office on Bangabandhu Avenue. Since creating a permanent or temporary stage was obstructed, a truck was used as a stage. As afternoon arrived, streams of processions began to pour in from all directions. By around 4 PM, Bangabandhu Avenue turned into a sea of people. Around 5 PM, Sheikh Hasina arrived at the rally venue. In a short speech, she gave a stern warning to the then government to stop the continuous persecution of party leaders and workers and nationwide series bomb attacks. Right at the moment before the anti-terrorism procession was about to start after her roughly 20-minute speech, that hellish rain of grenades began. One by one, 13 Arges-84 grenades exploded. Within moments, the entire area became covered in thick smoke and blood.

Afterward, continuous firing was directed at Sheikh Hasina. But dedicated party leaders and activists, risking their own lives, formed a human shield around their beloved leader. Many lost their lives on the spot and were severely injured in this, but Sheikh Hasina was miraculously saved. Bloody roads, scattered mutilated human bodies, and the smell of burnt flesh in the air—all together created a terrifying situation. Ivy Rahman, leader of the Mahila Awami League who was severely injured in that day's horrific grenade attack, breathed her last on August 24 after fighting for her life for 58 hours. A total of 24 innocent people lost their lives, and over five hundred leaders and activists were permanently crippled. Among the deceased were Moustak Ahmed Sentu, Lance Corporal (Retd.) Mahbur Rashid, Rafiqul Islam Ada Chacha, Sufia Begum, Hasina Momataz Reena, Liton Munshi, Ratan Sikder, Freedom Fighter Hanif, Mamun Mridha, Belal Hossain, Aminul Islam, Abdul Kuddus Patwari, Atiq Sarkar, Nasiruddin Sardar, Rezia Begum, Abul Kashem, Zahed Ali, Momin Ali, Shamsuddin, Abul Kalam Azad, Ichhak Miah, and two unidentified others. Former President Zillur Rahman, Amir Hossain Amu, and many others became companions to physical pain for the rest of their lives.

Immediately after the incident, three unexploded grenades that were thrown were destroyed, wiping out important evidence of the case. An attempt was made to hide the real culprits through a staged drama by arresting an innocent youth named 'Joj Mia'. Even standing in the National Parliament, the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia irresponsibly claimed—as if Sheikh Hasina herself had brought grenades in her vanity bag and exploded them herself! This was not the first attack on Sheikh Hasina. Ever since returning to the country in 1981, she has been the target of one planned conspiracy after another:

• January 24, 1988: Direct firing was opened targeting Sheikh Hasina at Laldighi Maidan in Chattogram. Although activists formed a human shield to save her, 7 people lost their lives and over three hundred were injured. • August 11, 1989: At midnight, armed terrorists of the Freedom Party opened fire and launched a grenade attack on Bangabandhu Bhavan at Dhanmondi 32. • September 11, 1991: A sudden bomb attack and shooting were launched at her while observing the by-election situation on Green Road. • September 23, 1994: Continuous gunfire was directed at the train carrying her at Natore Railway Station. • December 7, 1995: Firing was opened again with the intention to kill her while she was delivering a speech at a rally in Russel Square. • March 7, 1996: Firing was directed at the meeting stage at Bangabandhu Avenue from a moving microbus.

In the political history of Bangladesh, the month of August is a mournful and blood-soaked chapter. In mid-August 1975, the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed along with his family. Again, on August 17, 2005, the same evil force announced its presence by simultaneously exploding over five hundred bombs in 63 districts of the country.

The rampage carried out across the country during the Jamaat-BNP rule from 2001 to 2006—the gang rape of teenage girls like Mahima and Purnima, hanging Awami League leaders and activists from trees in the western region using militants like Shaykh Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai—can never be erased. In the present context, the people of the country are once again victims of that misrule. Today, the rule of law is absent, anyone can be jailed in false cases, people are being beaten to death by mobs, and the judicial system from the lower courts to the High Court has turned into a farce.

Why this heinous assassination attempt repeatedly? This is essentially a fierce desire to take revenge for the defeat in the Great Liberation War of 1971. A deep conspiracy to permanently erase the spirit of the liberation struggle, the 1972 constitution, secularism, democracy, and progressive ideals. Today, that time has come once again—the Bengali nation must unite in the spirit of '71, stand up against all conspiracies, and break the venomous teeth of this evil force forever.

Author: Dr. Abul Hasnat Milton, Journalist, Political Analyst, and Chief Editor, The Source News Bangla