Information and broadcasting minister and ruling Awami League Joint general secretary Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday said that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was behind the country’s all heinous acts like August 15 carnage, August 21 grenade attack and introducing the politics of burning people.

‘Ziaur Rahman masterminded the August 15 carnage in 1975 while Tarique Rahman orchestrated the grenade attack on August 21, 2004 with the knowledge of Begum Khaleda Zia. Today, BNP is doing politics of burning people in the country,’ he said.

The minister came up with the comments after paying tributes to the martyred family members of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who were killed on August 15, 1975, at the capital’s Banani graveyard, marking the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s 48th martyrdom anniversary and the National Mourning Day.

Earlier, he paid homage to the country’s founding president by placing wreath on his portrait in the city’s Dhanmondi Number-32 area.

On August 15, 1975, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his wife Sheikh Fazilatun Nesa Mujib were killed along with 18 family members, Hasan said, adding, ‘There has never been such a painful day in the history of the nation.’

He said that when Hazrat Imam Husayn was slaughtered in the desert of Karbala (Iraq), even then women and children were not killed.

But, on the black night of August 15 carnage, 10-year-old child Sheikh Russel, 4-year-old child Sukanta Babu, 8-year-old child Arif Serniabat, 12-year-old child Baby Serniabat, and pregnant Arju Moni were killed, he said, adding, ‘Even Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal, Sheikh Abu Naser, including Bangabandhu’s

family, were not spared by the assassins.’

‘Ziaur Rahman, the founder of BNP, was associated with this murder. He seized power through murder and remained in power through murder,’ said Dr Hasan.

The minister said that it was sad but true that BNP had not yet come out of the politics of murder. The BNP men do the politics of hatred and violence, celebrate false birthday of their party’s Chairperson Khaleda Zia on August 15 by cutting cakes, he added.

The activity of ill-politics needs to be stopped to continue the trend of sound politics in the country, the minister said.