DHAKA: The ruling party Awami League (AL), its associate bodies of AL, its left-leaning allies and other political parties today paid homage to the victims of the brutal grenade attack that killed 24 people and wounded nearly 500 others.

Earlier, the day’s programmes started with placing wreaths at the memorial set up in front of AL’s central office in the city’s Bangabandhu Avenue to pay rich tributes to the memories of those who were killed in the attack.

At first, on behalf of AL President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, several senior AL-leaders led by Awami League (AL) General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader paid homage by placing wreath there in memory of the martyrs of the grenade attack.

Later, Quader along with other senior leaders paid tributes to the grenade attack victims.

AL Presidium Members Matia Chowdhury, Dr Abdur Razzaque ,Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman, Joint General Secretary and Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, Organizing Secretaries Ahmed Hossain, BM Mozammel Haque, Mirza Azam ,SM Kamal Hossain and Advocate Afzal Hossain, Liberation War Affairs Secretary Advocate Mrinal Kanti Das, Cultural Affairs Secretary Ashim Kumar Ukil ,Information and Research Secretary Dr Selim Mahmud, Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Sujit Roy Nandi and Office Secretary Barrister Biplab Barua were present on the occasion, among others.

Then associate bodies of AL, its left-leaning allies and other political parties paid homage to the victims of the brutal grenade attack.

Dhaka city south and north units of AL, Krishak League, Sramik League, Jubo League, Chhatra League, Swechasebak League, Awami Matsajibi League and other political parties also paid homage to the August 21 grenade victims.

The gruesome grenade attack was carried out at an anti-terrorism rally of Awami League (AL) on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital on August 21, 2004 aiming to bankrupt the party leadership during the BNP-Jamaat alliance government.

With the grace of the Almighty, the then opposition leader and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other front-ranking AL leaders narrowly escaped the carnage.

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