Today marks the 21st anniversary of the deadly grenade attack on an Awami League rally at Dhaka’s Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004.
The attack, which targeted then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina’s gathering, killed 24 people and left hundreds injured.
Fourteen years after the incident, a Dhaka court delivered its verdict in two cases filed under the Penal Code and the Explosives Act.
However, last year the High Court overturned that verdict, acquitting all accused. The state has since appealed the decision, and hearings are now underway at the Appellate Division.
A six-member bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed continued the fourth day of hearings on Wednesday, with further proceedings scheduled for Thursday.
The initial cases were filed with Motijheel Police Station, though the investigation faced controversy.
In 2007, during the caretaker government period following the political change of 1/11, the CID reopened the investigation and charged 22 people.
In 2009, after the Awami League came to power, a supplementary charge sheet was filed, implicating BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman and 30 others.
On October 10, 2018, Dhaka’s Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 sentenced 19 people, including former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and former deputy education minister Abdus Salam Pintu, to death.
Tarique Rahman and 18 others were given life sentences, while 11 others received varying prison terms and fines.
Subsequently, the High Court reviewed death references, appeals, and jail petitions. On December 1 last year, it acquitted all accused, dismissing the trial court’s sentences.
The full verdict, released on December 19, acknowledged the grenade attack as one of the most heinous tragedies in Bangladesh’s history.
The High Court observed that justice for the victims, including Awami League leader Ivy Rahman, required an independent and thorough investigation—something it said had been lacking.
The court recommended that the case be referred to the Home Ministry for a fresh probe by a competent and independent body.
Following the verdict, the state filed separate leave-to-appeal petitions. On June 1 this year, the Appellate Division granted leave in the explosives case. Hearings on the appeals began on July 17, with further sessions held on July 31, August 19, and yesterday.
Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmud is representing the state, while senior lawyers S.M. Shahjahan, Mohammad Shishir Monir, and Mohinur Rahman are defending the accused.
