Grenade attack charge
BNP on Wednesday claimed that there was a “political plot” to implicate the party’s senior vice-chairman, Tarique Rahman, in the grenade attack on an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004. “Implication of Tarique in the grenade attack incident is politically motivated. His name was absent in the initial FIR lodged in the case,” BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said.
“Rahman’s name was even absent in the second FIR submitted during the 1/11 regime. But AL has named him in supplementary charge sheets as part of its evil political plot,” Alamgir told reporters after a meeting at BNP’s Naya Paltan office here.
At least 24 people, including AL’s women’s affairs secretary Ivy Rahman, wife of late President Zillur Rahman, were killed and 100 others injured in the grenade attack at Bangabandhu Avenue during an anti-terror rally on August 21, 2004.
While commemorating the day, AL chief Sheikh Hasina accused the then Premier Khaleda Zia, her elder son Tarique Rahman and some former cabinet members of being involved in the attack.
Rejecting the allegation, Alamgir said the ruling party has taken militant leader Mufti Hannan in remand for 120 days to force him to implicate Rahman. “The government has implicated Rahman in the grenade attack incident to tarnish the BNP’s political goodwill and image,” he said.
He was addressing a discussion meeting on “The constitution, court verdict on CG provision and reality”, organised by Youth Forum, at National Press Club, on Wednesday.
Courtesy of The Independent
