DHAKA, 28 August 2004 — Bangladesh has called in Interpol to assist investigations into the Aug. 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally which killed 20 people and wounded 300, a senior police officer said yesterday.
“We contacted the Interpol headquarters in Lyon in France yesterday and formally requested their assistance in the investigations,” Inspector General of Police Shahudul Haq told reporters in Dhaka.
The international police liaison body — the organization that coordinates information among law enforcement agencies in 181 countries — offered their help in the probe shortly after the bomb blast, and is expected to send a team to Dhaka soon, he added.
The decision did not satisfy Awami League, the country’s main opposition party, which has been demanding an international probe into the attack. “We don’t think the involvement of Interpol will make any big difference to the investigation,” said party general secretary Abdul Jalil. “We want an independent international investigation into all bomb blasts that have taken place in the country.”
The government, faced with domestic and international pressure after the attack on the rally addressed by former Prime Minister Hasina Wajed, has not ruled out foreign involvement in the attack.
“In fact, we are weighing all the domestic and foreign aspects of the blasts,” Reaz Rahman, adviser to the Foreign Ministry, said when asked if the government suspected a foreign hand.
“We will rely on Interpol as it is the most credible (organization) with a huge anti-crime network across the world. We need Interpol’s assistance to probe the grenade attack as we do not have adequate expertise to handle such a big crime,” he said.
The government had earlier appointed a senior High Court judge to carry out a judicial inquiry into the bomb blasts.
The attack follows a series of unexplained bomb blasts in the northeastern city of Sylhet this year in which seven people were killed.
No one has accepted blame for the Sylhet bombs but on Wednesday a little-known group, Himatul Zihad, claimed responsibility for Saturday’s assault and confirmed opposition claims that it had been an attempt on Hasina’s life. It also warned that a fresh assassination bid would be made on the opposition leader.
Thousands of opposition activists took to the streets yesterday, accusing the government of complicity in the grenade attack.
“This government has failed to protect the citizens. We want it to step down,” chanted about 3,000 protesters from the Awami League. The demonstrators shouted slogans in support of a nationwide general strike planned for today.
Riot police followed the demonstrators from atop trucks and no clashes occurred.
Since the attack, violent protests have broken out across the country and opposition-called general strikes have shut down schools and businesses.
The protests continued as Hasina refused to hold talks with the prime minister, blaming the government for the attack. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia offered to meet the opposition in an effort to quell the controversy.
“We can’t sit with those who are responsible for the deaths of so many of my party workers,” said Hasina, who narrowly escaped injury during the attack in which a dozen grenades were lobbed into the crowd. “Sitting with the government will be like betraying the families of those killed or injured in the carnage.”
Along with its allies of smaller opposition parties, the Awami League held prayers in mosques, temples and churches across the country yesterday to honor the dead and injured, party spokesman Abdul Jalil said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Bar Association of Bangladesh has formed an investigation committee comprising respected lawyers to investigate and publish a report on all bomb blasts in Bangladesh since 1999, committee members said.
— With input from agencies
