Bangladesh PM Hasina cautions people of possible repetition of 1975 carnage

Dhaka [Bangladesh], August 21 : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cautioned the people of the country and asked them to stay alert to the possible repetition of the August 15, 1975 carnage as the country gears up for the next general election, media reports said.
On August 15, 1975, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, widely known as Bangabandhu, the first President of Bangladesh and most of his family members were assassinated, and the Awami League government was deposed in Bangladesh.
PM Hasina said that those who do not like the country's development would not sit idle.
"More attacks may come. The August 15, 1975 attack was carried out when Bangabandhu started the country's development. Today, Bangladesh became a developing nation and is heading towards becoming a developed one - those who don't like this, will not sit idle, they will attack - so be alert about this," she said.
PM Hasina asked the countrymen to not let their guard down and continue to stay on the alert for the 1975-like carnage. She said that a conspiracy is being hatched as the next general election is approaching, reported Bangladesh's local media outlet Dhaka Tribune.
PM Hasina, also Awami League President, made these comments while presiding over a discussion organized by her party at its 23 Bangabandhu Avenue central office.
The discussion also marked the 18th anniversary of the gruesome August 21, 2004 grenade attack. The terror attack on an anti-terrorism rally at Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21 in 2004 killed over two dozen people and rocked the vicinity due to the impact of the grenades. The event shook the country to its core.
To mark respect to the memory of the victims of the August 21 grenade attack and the August 15 carnage, at the start of the meeting, a minute's silence was observed.
PM Hasina said that the 2004 grenade attacks were launched under Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government's direct patronage. The barbaric attack took the lives of 22 Awami League leaders and activists and injured other several thousand people, as per the media portal.
At the discussion, the prime minister said that Allah has bestowed her to complete some tasks and that is the reason she is saved everytime from such attacks.
Immediately after reaching the venue, the prime minister placed a wreath at the makeshift podium to show respect to the August 21, 2004, victims. Later, she along with Awami League's general secretary placed another wreath on behalf of the party.
"We, who got new life surviving the August 21, 2004 grenade attacks, have the responsibility to the people. And our current pledge is to perform the duties till the last breath," she said.
She condemned the activities by the BNP government and blamed them for heinous attacks in the countries. PM Hasina noted that it was impossible to conduct such heinous attacks without state patronage.
Then-BNP government destroyed all evidence, including unexploded grenades and helped the killers flee the scene and even the country was cleared of any evidence of the state sponsorship, she added.
Moreover, pointing toward the BNP leader Khaleda Zia's remarks a few days before the attack, PM Hasina said Khaleda Zia knew everything well.
PM Hasina at the discussion mentioned that Zia earlier said that Hasina would never have to be the prime minister or even the opposition leader in future. The premier said Khaleda Zia also made such remarks before planting bombs at Kotalipara that the Awami League will not be able to go to power in 100 years.
It is worth noting that Khaleda Zia was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh. Hasina questioned how Khaleda Zia made such a forecast, saying, "If you follow her comments, these plots will come out."