At least 24 people were killed and around 300 injured in the incident
A Dhaka court on Thursday scrapped the case filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on charges of instigating the grenade attack that targeted the Awami League rally on August 21, 2004, killing 24 people.
AB Siddique, president of Bangladesh Jananetri Parishad, a pro-Awami League platform, filed the case with Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning.
The hearing was held at around 12:30pm at the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sattyabrato Shikder.
AB Siddique confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune.
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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, lawmaker Sheikh Salim, Sheikh Helal and Mahabub Abdullah were made witnesses in the case.
The case accused Khaleda Zia of being the mastermind behind the grenade attack on the Awami League rally, held in Dhaka's Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004.
Also Read- Aug 21 grenade attack: Injured victims spending their days in pain
The blasts killed at least 24 people, including veteran leader Ivy Rahman, and injured around 300 more.
Incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the then opposition leader in parliament, narrowly escaped the attack with an ear injury.
On October 10, 2018, a Dhaka court awarded capital punishment to 19 people, including former state minister Lutfozzaman Babar and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu, in two cases filed over the attack.
The court also awarded life imprisonment to 19 people, including BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, BNP chief and former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s political secretary Harris Chowdhury, and former BNP lawmaker Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad, while 11 others were sentenced to different terms of jail time.
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