Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League (AL) Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud Sunday urged the countrymen to boycott and resist those who are responsible for the brutal killings on August 15 in 1975 and grenade attacks on August 21 in 2004.
“I would like to urge the countrymen to resist and boycott the persons who are responsible for brutal killings of August 15, killing of people through grenade attacks on August 21, burning the holy Quran and doing the politics of killing and conspiracies,” he said.
The minister said BNP does the politics of killing and the party was born through politics of killing and they believe in politics of killing. But now they are vocal though they have no rights to do politics in the country, he added.
Dr Hasan made the comments while addressing a discussion organized by ‘Ganatanthra Joddha 21 August Bangladesh’, a platform of the victims of family members of August 21 gruesome grenade attacks, at an auditorium of the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) here.
The minister said the August 21 grenade attacks were carried out with the patronization of Tarique Zia and with the knowledge of Khaleda Zia during the BNP’s regime. Mushtaq and Ziaur Rahman carried out the August 15 brutal killings and Tarique Zia and Khaleda Zia carried out the August 21 grenade attacks, he continued.
Dr Hasan said the then opposition leader in parliament and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was injured in the attacks while 22 Awami Leaders and activists were killed. The global community had expressed their condemnation, he added.
But, he said, the then BNP government didn’t allow to bring a condolence motion or discussion in parliament rather they claimed that Jananethri Sheikh Hasina had brought the grenades in her hand bag.
He said some terrorists were brought from abroad on that day and they were involved in the attacks. But they left the country soon after they heard that AL President Sheikh Hasina was not dead, he added.
The information minister said the same grenades were found in the prison and it was not possible to find any grenade of military in prisoners without state patronization. Thus, the August 21 grenade attacks were carried out under the leadership of Tarique Zia and with the knowledge of Khaleda Zia, he added.
He said Awami League President Sheikh Hasina was saved on that day for the grace of Almighty.
He said, “I’ve also 40 to 45 splinters in my body till now while many have 500 to 600 splinters. Many of them have become paralyzed.”
The information minister said a so-called investigation commission was formed headed by Justice Joynul Abedin and the commission, in their report, stated that Israeli ‘Mossad’ carried out the attacks. They tried to make the nation fool by staging ‘Joj Mia’ drama, he said.
Even, Dr Hasan said, tear gas shells were hurled when the AL activists came to recover the injured and they washed the place of occurrence to destroy the evidences.
He said the people are the owner of the country and they will decide who will be in power and who will be out of power. “We believe in the strength of the masses,” said Dr Hasan.
President of the organization Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique presided over the meeting while general secretary Nazmul Hasan Nazim conducted it.
AL organising secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, AL Dhaka North city unit president Sheikh Bazlur Rahman, AL Dhaka South city unit former general secretary Shahe Alam Murad, Swechasebak League former president Molla Abu Kawser and Advocate Kazi Shahanara, among others, addressed the discussion.
