2004 [BNP in Power] Aug 21 * At 5:22pm, Islamic militant outfit Huji carries out the grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka, killing 24 people and injuring 300 more. Sheikh Hasina narrowly escapes assassination. * Attackers leave the spot safely, reportedly with the help of the administration and the law enforcement agencies. * Hasina blames the BNP-led government for the attack and asks it to quit. * AL activists hold angry protests.

Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, home minister in the last BNP-led government, had assured Mufti Abdul Hannan, kingpin of the Islamist militant outfit Huji, that the militant leader could stay in the country without any fear.