An Awami League (AL) leader yesterday told a Dhaka court that the August 21 grenade attack in 2004 was solely aimed at killing party president, Sheikh Hasina, the then opposition leader, and other top leaders.

In his deposition as a prosecution witness, Dr Hasan Mahmud, former environment and forests minister, said several grenades had exploded in that afternoon while he was listening to Hasina addressing their rally at Bangabandhu Avenue protesting the then BNP government's "terrorism".

It left 24 people including Ivy Rahman, wife of late President Zillur Rahman, dead and scores injured.

"I found myself drenched in blood and I could not move. I lost consciousness. When I woke up, some of my party men took me to the ground floor of our party office. I tried commu-

nicatingwith my wife but failed.

"Later 1 was taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University for treatment on a minibus but no doctor was there," said Hasan.

He was treated for five days at Zainul Haque Sikder Women's Medical College Hospital and then shifted to Belgium for two weeks where doctors removed most of the hundreds of splinters, he said.

There are still over 40 splinters lodged in his body, added Hasan.

He said an unexploded grenade was found inside Dhaka Central Jail the day after the attack and that he had later come to know that Arges grenades, which only army personnel use during wars, had been used in the attack.

Judge Shahed Nuruddin of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 recorded the statement and fixed today for the next hearing while defence lawyers cross-examined Hasan.