The nation is observing the 19th anniversary of the gruesome August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka with various programmes today and pledges to resist such acts of terror. On this day in 2004, a heinous grenade attack was carried out on an anti-terrorism rally organised by the Awami League at Bangabandhu Avenue. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the then leader of the opposition, was apparently the target when the BNP-Jamaat alliance government was in office. At least 24 people, including Awami League’s women affairs secretary and late President Zillur Rahman’s wife Ivy Rahman, were killed. Three hundred others were also injured. Sheikh Hasina survived but suffered hearing impairment. Read: Zia was behind August 15 killings, Tarique behind August 21: Hasan Mahmud Fourteen years later, a Dhaka court sentenced 19 people, including the then BNP government’s state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, to death in the grenade attack case. Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and the party's current acting chairman, and 18 others were sentenced to life in prison for their involvement in the grenade attack. Marking the day, Awami League and its associate bodies have chalked out elaborate programmes across the country. Tributes will be paid to the grenade attack martyrs by placing wreaths at the altar built in their memory in front of the party's Bangabandhu Avenue office in Dhaka at 11 am. Read: Grenade attacks and targeted killings among methods then BNP-Jamaat govt applied in their attempt to decimate AL, tweet reminds Later, a discussion will start at 11:15 am in memory of those killed in the August 21 grenade attack. Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will preside over it. Meanwhile, General Secretary of Awami League Obaidul Quader called upon the leaders, activists, supporters and well-wishers of Awami League and its allies at all levels to observe the Grenade Attack Day on August 21 along with the countrymen. Among those killed in the grenade attack were: the then opposition leader's personal security guard Lance Corporal (retd) Mahbubur Rashid, Abul Kalam Azad, Rezina Begum, Nasir Uddin Sardar, Atique Sarkar, Abdul Kuddus Patwari, Aminul Islam Moazzem, Belal Hossain, Mamun Mridha, Ratan Shikdar, Liton Munshi, Hasina Mamtaz Reena, Sufia Begum, Rafiqul Islam (Ada Chacha), Mostaque Ahmed Sentu, Md Hanif, Abul Kashem, Zahed Ali, Momen Ali, M Shamsuddin and Ishaque Miah. Read: August 21 grenade attack: HC starts hearing on death references, convicts’ appeals Those who suffered serious splinter injuries included Sheikh Hasina, Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Suranjit Sengupta, Obaidul Quader, Advocate Sahara Khatun, Mohammad Hanif, Prof Abu Sayeed, and AFM Bahauddin Nasim.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday alleged that the then Khaleda Zia government, which was involved in gruesome activities, did not want to hand over the dead bodies of August-21 grenade attack to their relatives. “Not only they made killing attempts, but also carried out heinous activities with dead bodies after killings,” she said. Read: Bangladesh observes 17th anniversary of Dhaka grenade attack The Prime Minister said this in her introductory speech at the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) held at NEC Auditorium. She joined the meeting virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. Talking about the 17th death anniversary of Ivy Rahman, former president of Bangladesh Mahila Awami League and wife of late president M Zillur Rahman, the PM said she was taken to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) for treatment. “I don’t know when she (Ivy) died. Khaleda Zia had been there to see her. After her departure, Ivy Rahman was declared dead,” she recalled. She mentioned that Ivy Rahman’s three children -- Papon (present BCB president), Tania and Moyna -- were kept under lock and key in a room for 3-4 hours while the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia had been there. Read:Spl show to commemorate Aug 21 grenade massacre

The barbaric grenade attack was carried out on an anti-terrorism rally of Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital on August 21, 2004 during the BNP-Jamaat government aiming to wipe out the AL leadership. Twenty-four people, including then president of Mohila Awami League and late President Zillur Rahman’s wife Ivy Rahman, were killed and over 600 others suffered splinter injuries in the grisly attack and many of them became crippled for life. Sheikh Hasina, the then opposition leader, narrowly escaped the attack but sustained hearing impairment due to the impact of the repeated grenade blasts near the truck-dais of the huge public rally. The AL men saved her life creating a human shield surrounding her.