2001 Ramna Batamul bombings
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| Ramna Batamul bombings | |
|---|---|
 Pahela Baishakh programme at Ramna Batamul in 2026, where the bomb exploded | |
| Location | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Date | 14 April 2001 (UTC+06:00) |
| Target | General public celebrating Pohela Boishakh |
Attack type | Mass murder; bomb attack; terrorism |
| Deaths | 10 dead |
| Perpetrators | Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami |
The Ramna Batamul (Ramna Banyan root/foot) bombing was a series of bomb attacks on 14 April 2001 at a cultural programme of the Pahela Baishakh celebrations arranged by Chaayanot, the leading cultural organization of Bangladesh.[1]
Ten people, including Shujan, a Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami militant, died and many more people were wounded. The Islamic fundamentalist group Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami later confessed their involvement in the attack.[2]
Pohela Boishakh or Bengali New Year is the first day of the Bengali calendar. It is celebrated on 14 April in Bangladesh and 15 April in the Indian states of West Bengal as well as Tripura by the Bengali people and by minor Bengali communities in other Indian states, including Assam, Jharkhand and Odisha. On April 14 around 8:00am at Ramna Batamul, the first bomb exploded.[3] Shortly after, there was a second blast when police were conducting evacuations and rescue operations. One policeman was injured in the second bomb explosion. Ten people lost their lives and about 50 were injured.[4] Police also recovered another inactive bomb later. The state-owned television station BTV was broadcasting the programme live from Ramna Batamul. Because of this, people throughout the country saw the bombing attack on television. Following the incident, all cultural functions organised for New Year celebrations were postponed.[1]
