August 21 grenade attack: Some thoughts on the recent verdict

It can be safely said that the heinous grenade attack was one of the worst political crimes committed in Bangladesh so far

After long fourteen years, the verdict on the heinous grenade attack has been declared. It was a ruthless barbaric attack on the then leader of the opposition Sheikh Hasina and her senior party leaders and workers. It was obviously a gruesome attack sponsored by then state and the ruling party as well. The second man of the ruling party, the son of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, was the key person of this killing. Tarique who is now the acting chief of BNP and living fugitive life at London was then the chief of Hawa Bhaban, an alternative centre of governance. This Hawa Bhaban was then used to hatch conspiracy and hold meetings to design to launch grenade attack on the Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue on 21 August 2004. Meetings were also held in the houses of those who were arrested like State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar, Adviser to the Prime Minister, Haris Chowdhury, another minister, Abdul Salam Pintu. In fact, the decision for operation was given by Tarique at the final meeting held at Hawa Bhaban where all the killers were present.

Now the verdict has awarded capital punishment to 19 and life term for the rest including Tarique Rahman. The aggrieved party Awami League and leaders and also many ordinary people have hailed the judgment excepting the punishment given to Tarique. Their logic is why the person who masterminded the killing and at whose behest everything has been done and the person who did such heinous crime only to perpetuate their rule permanently should not be awarded capital punishment. Why Tarique, who orchestrated the plot to kill Sheikh Hasina and her senior party leaders to prolong BNP rule should not be given death sentence? But, he has been escaped the capital punishment. Even many senior lawyers and retired judges of the higher court could not be fully satisfied by the judgment.

In the legal provision, it is generally said that let 99 criminals escape trial but a single innocent person should not be unduly punished. Probably such a legal provision has wrongfully has helped Tarique to evade capital punishment. There has been a country wide demonstration demanding death sentence for Tarique. Even the law minister expressed dissatisfaction and an appeal may follow demanding the hanging of Tarique. In fact the Awami League leaders in their reactions have expressed partial satisfaction due to the reason that many of the criminals have been awarded capital punishment.

If one goes to analyze the entire event, one could not but say that it is the worst political crime committed even in our country so far. Probably the killing was designed to hold on the 15 August, the day on which the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu was assassinated. Much more significant is the motive that induced the killing. It was designed to annihilate the opposition Awami League, with its chief only with the purpose to create vacuum in the national leadership so that Begum Zia and her son Tarique with their cohorts could misgovern the country for indefinite period of time. Nowhere in the globe it is heard that a party in power did try to exterminate the opposition to perpetuate their rule and especially those who have been crying for democracy still on the road. What sort of democracy they are trying to introduce. Though the main target was Sheikh Hasina, but the senior Awami League leaders got wounded and the chief of women Awami League Begum Ivy Rahman was brutally killed along with 23 more leaders and workers of Awami League. Even many Awami League leaders and party workers were living with hundreds of splinters still in their bodies.

Exactly at that time the parliament was in a session. The then prime minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, and the law makers were in the parliament. How could a prime minister of a country sarcastically say that probably the grenade was carried by Sheikh Hasina and the grenade attack has been carried by her? The opposition was not allowed to raise the issue in the parliament then.

At the place of occurrence what was held is significant and meaningful. Nearly 300 security men were there to maintain law and order. The operation continued for 15 minutes. A single accused could not be held. All were allowed to flee safely through ambulance standing for them. Their passage was cleared lobbing tear gas shells on the traumatized Awami League supporters. They did nothing for the wounded Awami League leaders and supporters. Even ambulances were not allowed to carry the wounded and sufficient time got elapsed to hasten the death of critically injured. They hurriedly destroyed the evidences so that in future the crimes could not be unveiled and charges could not be substituted against those who were involved in grenade attack.

Now what does really transpire out of the brutal killing? It was well orchestrated to prolong the rule of the then ruling party. In fact if there was no change of government and the government of Begum Zia could be in power, the Joj Miah drama could have been proved to be the fact and the killers of the worst political crime could have been escaped. The caretaker government formed later on started unveiling the truth and the newly elected government of Sheikh Hasina did really after a long course of investigation and trial could punish the real culprit. It is Sheikh Hasina who could arrange trial of killers of Bangabandhu and it is also Sheikh Hasina who could put the corrupt Khaleda Zia on the dock. The government of Sheikh Hasina has been successful to put killers of 21 August on trial awarding capital punishment through the court of law. Out of 52 accused 3 had already been executed, 19 have been awarded capital punishment and the rest had been given life term imprisonment.

Now the opposition BNP terms the judgment politically motivated. They talk about the guiltlessness of Tarique and others. This is really astonishing. The court in its verdict has observed that rivalry between ruling and the opposition is common in politics, but it is absolutely unacceptable such steps to annihilate the opposition. The heinous way to eliminate the opposition cannot be accepted as democratic norms. The people all over the country have come to know the fact about the 21 August grenade attack carnage. Moreover, the people all over the country knows it well who is the perpetrators of the worst political crime in the history of Bangladesh. The role played by government of Begum Zia, who was also the head of the state cannot escape the responsibility of the killing. She should also be held responsible since she was in charge of home ministry. The role of the administration is clear today.

So the verdict has fulfilled the expectation of the people. As head of the government Sheikh Hasina has been  able to hold trial of all the historical brutal killing cases like war crimes of 1971, killing of Bangabandhu on 15 August 1975 and grenade attack on 21 August 2004 through the process of law. The aim is to establish rule of law and strengthen democracy.

The writer is a former Political Adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

 

 

August 21 grenade attack: Some thoughts on the recent verdict

It can be safely said that the heinous grenade attack was one of the worst political crimes committed in Bangladesh so far

After long fourteen years, the verdict on the heinous grenade attack has been declared. It was a ruthless barbaric attack on the then leader of the opposition Sheikh Hasina and her senior party leaders and workers. It was obviously a gruesome attack sponsored by then state and the ruling party as well. The second man of the ruling party, the son of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, was the key person of this killing. Tarique who is now the acting chief of BNP and living fugitive life at London was then the chief of Hawa Bhaban, an alternative centre of governance. This Hawa Bhaban was then used to hatch conspiracy and hold meetings to design to launch grenade attack on the Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue on 21 August 2004. Meetings were also held in the houses of those who were arrested like State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar, Adviser to the Prime Minister, Haris Chowdhury, another minister, Abdul Salam Pintu. In fact, the decision for operation was given by Tarique at the final meeting held at Hawa Bhaban where all the killers were present. Now the verdict has awarded capital punishment to 19 and life term for the rest including Tarique Rahman. The aggrieved party Awami League and leaders and also many ordinary people have hailed the judgment excepting the punishment given to Tarique. Their logic is why the person who masterminded the killing and at whose behest everything has been done and the person who did such heinous crime only to perpetuate their rule permanently should not be awarded capital punishment. Why Tarique, who orchestrated the plot to kill Sheikh Hasina and her senior party leaders to prolong BNP rule should not be given death sentence? But, he has been escaped the capital punishment. Even many senior lawyers and retired judges of the higher court could not be fully satisfied by the judgment. In the legal provision, it is generally said that let 99 criminals escape trial but a single innocent person should not be unduly punished. Probably such a legal provision has wrongfully has helped Tarique to evade capital punishment. There has been a country wide demonstration demanding death sentence for Tarique. Even the law minister expressed dissatisfaction and an appeal may follow demanding the hanging of Tarique. In fact the Awami League leaders in their reactions have expressed partial satisfaction due to the reason that many of the criminals have been awarded capital punishment. If one goes to analyze the entire event, one could not but say that it is the worst political crime committed even in our country so far. Probably the killing was designed to hold on the 15 August, the day on which the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu was assassinated. Much more significant is the motive that induced the killing. It was designed to annihilate the opposition Awami League, with its chief only with the purpose to create vacuum in the national leadership so that Begum Zia and her son Tarique with their cohorts could misgovern the country for indefinite period of time. Nowhere in the globe it is heard that a party in power did try to exterminate the opposition to perpetuate their rule and especially those who have been crying for democracy still on the road. What sort of democracy they are trying to introduce. Though the main target was Sheikh Hasina, but the senior Awami League leaders got wounded and the chief of women Awami League Begum Ivy Rahman was brutally killed along with 23 more leaders and workers of Awami League. Even many Awami League leaders and party workers were living with hundreds of splinters still in their bodies. Exactly at that time the parliament was in a session. The then prime minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, and the law makers were in the parliament. How could a prime minister of a country sarcastically say that probably the grenade was carried by Sheikh Hasina and the grenade attack has been carried by her? The opposition was not allowed to raise the issue in the parliament then. At the place of occurrence what was held is significant and meaningful. Nearly 300 security men were there to maintain law and order. The operation continued for 15 minutes. A single accused could not be held. All were allowed to flee safely through ambulance standing for them. Their passage was cleared lobbing tear gas shells on the traumatized Awami League supporters. They did nothing for the wounded Awami League leaders and supporters. Even ambulances were not allowed to carry the wounded and sufficient time got elapsed to hasten the death of critically injured. They hurriedly destroyed the evidences so that in future the crimes could not be unveiled and charges could not be substituted against those who were involved in grenade attack. Now what does really transpire out of the brutal killing? It was well orchestrated to prolong the rule of the then ruling party. In fact if there was no change of government and the government of Begum Zia could be in power, the Joj Miah drama could have been proved to be the fact and the killers of the worst political crime could have been escaped. The caretaker government formed later on started unveiling the truth and the newly elected government of Sheikh Hasina did really after a long course of investigation and trial could punish the real culprit. It is Sheikh Hasina who could arrange trial of killers of Bangabandhu and it is also Sheikh Hasina who could put the corrupt Khaleda Zia on the dock. The government of Sheikh Hasina has been successful to put killers of 21 August on trial awarding capital punishment through the court of law. Out of 52 accused 3 had already been executed, 19 have been awarded capital punishment and the rest had been given life term imprisonment. Now the opposition BNP terms the judgment politically motivated. They talk about the guiltlessness of Tarique and others. This is really astonishing. The court in its verdict has observed that rivalry between ruling and the opposition is common in politics, but it is absolutely unacceptable such steps to annihilate the opposition. The heinous way to eliminate the opposition cannot be accepted as democratic norms. The people all over the country have come to know the fact about the 21 August grenade attack carnage. Moreover, the people all over the country knows it well who is the perpetrators of the worst political crime in the history of Bangladesh. The role played by government of Begum Zia, who was also the head of the state cannot escape the responsibility of the killing. She should also be held responsible since she was in charge of home ministry. The role of the administration is clear today. So the verdict has fulfilled the expectation of the people. As head of the government Sheikh Hasina has been able to hold trial of all the historical brutal killing cases like war crimes of 1971, killing of Bangabandhu on 15 August 1975 and grenade attack on 21 August 2004 through the process of law. The aim is to establish rule of law and strengthen democracy. The writer is a former Political Adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina