2003 Tangail shrine bombing was a bomb attack on 17 January 2003 at the Failya Paglar Mela in
Tangail
Tangail ( bn, টাঙ্গাইল, ), is a major city within the Dhaka Division in central Bangladesh. It sits on the bank of the Louhajang River, north-west of Dhaka, the nation's capital. It is considered to be the main urban area of ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
that resulted in the death of 7 people.
Attacks
The Failya Paglar Mela is the largest fair of
Greater Mymensingh
Mymensingh Division ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ বিভাগ) is one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of and a population of 11,370,000 as of the 2011 census. It was created in 2015 from districts prev ...
area. The fair is held in the remote Dariapur village every year. On 17 January 2003, two bombs exploded within minutes of each other. The three day fair attracts 10 thousand attendees. Hundreds were present in the fair including a
Bangladesh Police
The Bangladesh Police ( bn, বাংলাদেশ পুলিশ) of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a law enforcement agency, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It plays a crucial role in maintaining peace, and enforcement ...
security team. The explosion killed 7 people.
Reactions
Haris Chowdhury, the political secretary to
Khaleda Zia
Khaleda Zia (; born Khaleda Khanam Putul in 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Ba ...
, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, blamed the opposition parties for the blast. Some locals blamed it on land disputes over the shrine.
Further investigation found the involvement of
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen ("Assembly of Mujahideen--Bangladesh", abbreviated: JMB; bn, জামাত-উল-মুজাহিদীন বাংলাদেশ) is a terrorist organisation operating in Bangladesh. It is listed as a terror group by ...
in the blast.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tangail shrine bombing
2003 crimes in Bangladesh
History of Bangladesh (1971–present)
Terrorist incidents in Bangladesh in 2003
Islamic terrorist incidents in 2003
Suicide bombings in Bangladesh
Mass murder in 2003
Tangail District
2003 murders in Asia
2000s murders in Bangladesh
Terrorism in Bangladesh