BD RIGHTS

22 years on, August 21 wounds remain, justice question returns

All those convicted in the grenade attack case were acquitted, while survivors continue to live with injuries, trauma and financial hardship

Twenty-two years after grenades rained down on an Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue, survivors of one of Bangladesh’s deadliest political attacks are marking another August 21 with the physical and psychological scars still intact, but with the legal case ending in the acquittal of all those convicted by the trial court.

The August 21, 2004 attack killed 24 people and injured more than 100 as grenades exploded at a rally addressed by then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina. 

More than two decades later, survivors say their struggle has moved beyond the injuries they suffered that afternoon to questions of justice, financial hardship and, for some, a new life of insecurity. 

For Md Anwar Parvez Tinku, an eyewitness and injured survivor, the memories remain vivid.

Recalling the moments before the attack, he said Sheikh Hasina had climbed onto a truck to address the rally, surrounded by senior Awami League leaders, when the explosions began.

He said: “Apa was going to give a speech on the microphone, at that moment grenades started exploding like rain. We scattered like flower petals everywhere. Leaders and activists formed a human shield to save Apa. Blood flowed all around, heads, hands and feet of many present were scattered around. It felt like my right leg had been blown off.” 

Twenty-two years later, Tinku said the trauma still follows him into his sleep.

He said: “After the grenade attack, the police there did not take us to the hospital either. They fired tear gas. I was severely injured in the grenade attack on my right leg.”

Doctors at several hospitals recommended amputating his leg, he said, before another physician managed to save it through surgery. But the injuries continue to affect his life.

“I am suffering from leg pain, and besides, I have a bomb scar on my body. I cannot do any work. I am somehow surviving with a daughter and a wife. My brothers pay some expenses every month, so I go on. Due to lack of money, I cannot even get my leg treated,” he said. 

From conviction to acquittal

The anniversary comes against a dramatically changed legal backdrop.

In October 2018, Dhaka’s Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 sentenced 19 people, including former state minister for home affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu, to death. 

Another 19, including Tarique Rahman, were sentenced to life imprisonment, while 11 others received varying prison terms. 

But the convictions were subsequently overturned.

The High Court acquitted all those convicted in the cases, and on September 4, 2025, a six-member Appellate Division bench unanimously dismissed the state’s appeal, leaving the acquittals intact. 

The legal reversal has left survivors such as Tinku questioning whether they will ever see anyone held responsible.

He said: “Many of our comrades have been killed and injured. The murder of those who were killed has not been tried yet. I want to see the trial of those who ordered, financed and planned the grenade attack before they die. This will give peace to the souls of our fallen comrades.” 

Survivors caught in changed politics

For some survivors, the political upheaval following the fall of the Awami League government in August 2024 has brought another layer of hardship.

Several victims, who wished to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, told Dhaka Tribune that they had subsequently been implicated in criminal cases, while some had gone into hiding.

They alleged their homes had been attacked or burned and their families were struggling financially. 

Some said they were working anonymously as rickshaw pullers or labourers to survive. 

One woman injured in the grenade attack described the desperation of living with both the old wounds and her present circumstances.

She said: “I have come back from the door of death. However, it was better to die. It is difficult to survive the lawsuit and police harassment. I have no money to eat, how can I file a case?” 

Some survivors are also critical of the former Awami League government, saying it had years in power to ensure a definitive judicial conclusion to the attack.

They said the injured were repeatedly brought before television cameras around August 21, but their suffering became entangled with partisan politics rather than producing lasting closure.

The attack itself has passed into Bangladesh’s political history. 

Its judicial journey has travelled from investigation and trial to mass convictions, appeals and ultimately the acquittal of all those convicted.

Yet for those who were standing on Bangabandhu Avenue 22 years ago, August 21 is not merely history.

The court cases may have reached their legal conclusion, but survivors still carry grenade splinters, disabilities and memories of the dead. 

For them, another anniversary arrives with the most fundamental question still unsettled: who will ultimately be held accountable for August 21?