Chintito
'I'
for Ivy
Chintito
The
Incident
A wave of grenade attacks on opposition chief Sheikh Hasina's
rally on Bangabandhu Avenue yesterday left at least 16 people
killed and 200 including top Awami League (AL) leaders...
critically injured. Hasina, who was the apparent target of
the attacks carried out from buildings in front of the AL
headquarters, escaped unscathed as activists formed a human
shield to protect their leader aboard a truck. One of her
personal security staff, Mahbub Alam, 42, who stood close
by her, died. The unknown assailants fired seven bullets at
the bulletproof sports utility vehicle (SUV) that Hasina boarded
immediately after the blasts. The deadly attacks started at
5:23pm... "It was not more than three seconds after Hasina
finished her speech when a grenade blasted two yards from
the dais and what followed was a 'grenade rain'," said
Sub-Inspector Mosharraf Hossain, head of a six-member security
team of Hasina. "I saw seven to eight people throwing
grenades from the roof of the building opposite the AL office.
The grenades were red in colour," he told The Daily Star.
(DS 22/8)
The
Inaction
During the attacks, armed police ran away for cover and did
not take part in the rescue drive. Confusion and panic ruled
supreme as nobody knew which building the grenades would pour
down from. Intelligence agents last night said they were probing
the unusually poor deployment of police at the rally and the
absence of the force on nearby building rooftops in a remarkable
deviation form the usual practice. (DS 22/8)
International
Concern
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday expressed grave
concern over the attack... (DS 22/8) Turkish Prime Minister
Nek Metin Erbaken, Congress of India Chair Sonia Gandhi, Leader
of Opposition in Lok Shabha of India L K Advani and US Assistant
Secretary of State Christina Rocca yesterday phoned Awami
League President Sheikh Hasina expressing concern over Saturday's
grenade and gun attacks... (DS 23/8) Head of Delegation of
the European Commission in Bangladesh Ambassador Esko Kentrschynskyj
yesterday strongly condemned the grenade attack... (DS 23/8)
US President George W Bush has expressed deep shock at Saturday's
grenade attacks... Britain, India, Pakistan and the United
States yesterday offered to help Dhaka in its probe into a
series of grenade attacks... (DS 24/8) UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan has strongly condemned the use of violence against
the civilian population and called for the perpetrators...
(25/8)
The
Investigation
Five days into the deadly grenade attack on an Awami League
rally on Saturday, investigators are still trying to find
out how the assailants threw the grenades and carried out
the subsequent gun attack. (DS 25/8) The Criminal Investigation
Department (CID), the only agency in police department to
deal with bomb blast incidents, has little capability to deal
with post-blast situation and carry out investigation... (DS
27/8)
The
Interlink
Police retrieved two more grenades from the capital yesterday,
one of them from a toilet of Gulistan Hawkers' Market near
the very site of Saturday's explosions. The other one was
found in a drain of Dhaka Central Jail in the morning and
the shocking discovery has baffled detectives involved with
investigations into other bomb blasts in the country. They
even asked The Daily Star correspondent to tell them who are
behind the deadly blasts and with what motive, if he stumbles
onto behind-the-scene facts. (DS 23/8)
The
Insensible
Police yesterday did not register a case in connection with
Saturday's grenade attack on the Awami League (AL) rally in
Dhaka. (DS 23/8)
The
Interment
Quick burial of two unidentified bodies from Saturday's Awami
League (AL) rally bombing drew fire from anxious relatives
of the missing and raised questions about the otherwise sluggish
authorities' 'usual promptness'. After autopsy, Sub-Inspector
of Motijheel Police Station Sharif Faruk Ahmed handed over
the twin bodies to Anjuman Mofidul Islam and the charity buried
them at Azimpur graveyard on Sunday night, 30 hours after
the blasts. Unknown bodies are usually kept at the morgue
for at least 48 hours after autopsy before handing over to
the charity for burial. (DS 24/8)
(Mis)Information
The Executive Producer (News) of Bangladesh Television (BTV),
Kazi Mostaq Zahir has been withdrawn from the news room for
negligence to his duty during the news telecast at 8 pm on
Saturday. (DS 23/8) Director General of Bangladesh Betar Zafar
Ahmed Chowdhury has been transferred to Bangladesh Television
(BTV) as its Director General (DG), while BTV Director General
Mostafizur Rahman was made Officer on Special Duty (OSD) at
the Ministry of Establishment, official sources told the news
agency. (DS 26/8)
The
intimidation
Hikmatul Zihad, a previously unheard-of organisation, has
claimed responsibility for Saturday's grenade attack on Awami
League (AL) rally and vowed to assassinate Leader of the Opposition
and AL President Sheikh Hasina in a week. "We are coming
and this time we will (accomplish) our target within 7 days.
It's a promise, "one Hyder Rob, representing the organisation,
said in a message emailed to Bangla daily the Prothom Alo
Monday night. (DS 25/8)
The
Internet
Intelligence agents have picked up a man suspecting that he
sent an email from a cyber cafe to a leading newspaper threatening
to kill Awami League Chief Sheikh Hasina in a week, sources
said. (DS 27/8)
The
Image
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia held a brainstorming session with
seven former foreign secretaries yesterday for reviving Bangladesh's
image abroad and taking steps on the world stage in the wake
of Awami League (AL) rally bombing on August 21. "The
prime minister asked them to harness all their experience
in this field to overcome the damage to Bangladesh's image
abroad," Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan told reporters
at his office yesterday. (DS 29/8)
The
Interpol
Two Interpol experts arrived in Dhaka yesterday to assess
the August 21 carnage and determine expertise vital to a thorough
investigation into the grisly attack... The team of Jeffry
Eyles, an expert on public safety and terrorism affairs, and
Jacqueline Pullums, a US analyst of civilian terrorism, collected
primary information from the police and intelligence officials
probing the incident. (DS 30/8)
The
Irony
Interpol investigator Jeffry Eyles lost his luggage on arrival
at ZIA. He left the airport without his luggage. (Janakantha
30/8)
The
Incentive
The government has announced a reward of Tk 1 crore to anyone
disclosing information about the August 21 grenade attacks
on an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue. "We want
to reveal truth, which is why we announced the reward,"
State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar yesterday
told reporters after a home ministry meeting on law and order.
(DS 30/8)
The
Inquiry
The government yesterday formed a one-member enquiry commission
into the grenade attacks... The commission, comprised of a
senior justice of the High Court Division of Bangladesh Supreme
Court Justice Md Joynul Abedin, will submit its report within
three weeks. (DS 23/8) Seven days later: A one-member judicial
commission formed by the government opened its probe into
the attack yesterday and... visited the spot and talked to
Awami League leaders. (DS 30/8)
The
Ignored
Several low-profile people who were injured in the blast lay
in city hospitals or at home, some physically maimed for life.
Ivy
Rahman
(Awami League leader) Ivy, who lost both legs as at least
13 grenades exploded one after another, was in a critical
condition at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). Doctors
amputated her legs. (DS 22/8) Critically injured Awami League
(AL) leader Ivy Rahman clung to her life yesterday despite
flying rumours in Dhaka that the women's affairs secretary
of the main opposition party was clinically dead. (DS 23/8)
The liver and kidneys of critically injured Awami League (AL)
leader Ivy Rahman have stopped functioning, her family members
and the Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) told The Daily
Star last night. (DS 24/8) Veteran Awami League leader Ivy
Rahman died early yesterday after fighting for her life for
three days since she was grievously injured in Saturday's
grenade attack on the AL rally. (DS 25/8)
The Inevitable...
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