Pushpa Shil, who lost her three young daughters on the dreadful night of November 18, burst into tears as Hasina tried to console the elderly woman during a visit to the scene of bloodbath in Shilpara village, about 80 kilometres south of Chittagong city.

A large number of people came out of their homes to see Hasina who spent about an hour with the survivors and addressed a gathering of other villagers still in a state of shock.

Later in the day, she addressed a public rally in the Kalipur Ezharul Haq High School ground. "This is one of the most heinous acts of barbarity mankind has ever seen," she said.

"The carnage scene is too eerie to look at -- the burnt-out mud house is a cruel reminder of terror. Those who perpetrated this crime cannot be called humans. They are simply beasts," said Hasina, moved at the horror of the deadliest ever arson attack in Bangladesh.

On the alleged repression against supporters of the main opposition party and religious minorities, Hasina, also Awami League president, claimed, "At least 21 Hindus were incinerated in Banshkhali alone and no fewer than 24,000 leaders, activists and supporters of opposition parties were killed after the last parliamentary elections."

"Why are minority groups not given protection the constitution guarantees?" Hasina asked, accusing the BNP-led coalition government of widespread torture.

Hasina alleged the involvement of some local BNP leaders and their harboured hoodlums in the Banshkhali arson attack that police described as just another robbery.

"They carried out the attack to feed their desire for vengeance," the AL chief said, adding the attackers did not even spare the four-day-old baby.

She accused the BNP-Jamaat coalition of sliding the country back into total chaos and sheltering killers and other criminals over its first two years in office.

She said Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, local lawmaker and State Minister Jafrul Islam Chowdhury and his cousin, who is the union parishad chairman, cannot duck responsibility for the gruesome incident.

She accused the home minister of withdrawing cases against 70,000 ruling party-favoured criminals.

"The government failed to save the lives and property of people," Hasina said in a guarded reference to launching a tough movement against the government.

Hasina asked Banshkhali residents to help track down the perpetrators of the November 18 massacre and told the rally: "Unite against repression and resist it."

AL presidium members Sajeda Chowdhury, Motia Chowdhury, Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, General Secretary Abdul Jalil, central leaders Obaidul Kader and Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Chittagong city AL President MA Mannan, Chittagong Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, north district President Mosharraf Hossain and south district President Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury also addressed.

Earlier in the day, Hasina addressed two roadside rallies in West Patiya and Anwara on her way to Banshkhali.