Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is attending a memorial programme organised to remember the victims of the 21 August, 2004 grenade attack at Bangladesh Awami League Central Office in the capital's Bangabandhu Avenue on Sunday (21 August).

Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League chief, reached the party's central office at around 10:30am today and placed a floral wreath at the altar built for the 21 August martyrs in front of the party's central office.

The programme started with a prayer seeking solace for the deadly grenade attack victims.

A discussion will be held at to recall the victims of the dreadful in memory of those killed in the August 21 grenade attacks.

Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader called upon the leaders, workers, supporters and well-wishers of Awami League and its allies and fraternal organisations at all levels to observe the 'Grenade Attack Day' on August 21 with due dignity along with the countrymen following the health rules.

This year marks the 18th anniversary of the gruesome grenade attack. On this day in 2004 during the BNP-Jamaat coalition government, this unprecedented grenade attack was carried out on a peaceful anti-terror rally of the Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital.

The party leaders and activists formed a human shield to protect the then opposition leader and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina miraculously survived the infernal grenade attack. Seeing that the main target of the assassins Sheikh Hasina survived, 12 rounds were shot at her car.

However, the targeted bullets could not penetrate the bulletproof vehicle carrying Bangabandhu's daughter. Immediately after the attack, Sheikh Hasina was cordoned off in a car and taken to her then residence Sudha Sadan in Dhanmondi.

A total of 24 people including the then Women Affairs Secretary of Awami League and wife of late President Zillur Rahman were killed and over 500 others injured in the attack and many of them became crippled for life.

Those others killed in the barbaric grenade attack included 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.

Prominent among 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.

After the attack, when the Awami League leaders and activists were busy trying to save themselves and others, the police charged the protest march fiercely with batons and tear shells. At the same time, all traces of the carnage were destroyed.

The BNP-Jamaat coalition government even staged the "Joj Mia" drama to cover up the incident with state sponsorship and direct support.

Marking the anniversary, the ruling AL, its front and associate bodies and its left-leaning allies, and other political parties, social-cultural and professional organisations have chalked out elaborate programmes across the country, maintaining health guidelines in wake of the Covid-19 situation.