3 More Devotees Die at Ijtema Till Second Day

Three more devotees died at the Ijtema venue in Tongi, Gazipur on Friday night, taking the death toll to 10. The deceased were identified as Nousher Ali, 65, son of Shamser Ali of Sherpur district, A Kader, 55, son of Belayet Hossain of Bhola district and Swadhin, son of Hossain Ahmed of Netrakona district. So far, 10 people including a policeman died till Saturday morning during the first phase of Ijtema. Earlier, seven people died on the Ijtema ground. Of them three died on way to the Ijtema venue.

The deceased were identified as Abdus Sattar, 70, son of Abul Hossain, Ekhlas Mia, 68, son of Abdus Sobhan of Netrakona, Shah Alam, 60, son of Najir Ahmed of Bhola district, Matiur Rahman, 60 of Jamalpur district, Yunus Mia, 60 of Brahmanbaria district, Zaman Mia, 40 of Chapainawabganj and Hasanuzzaman, 30, sub-inspector.

DMP, GMP set road, parking plans during Ijtema Habibullah Raihan, coordinator of Biswa Ijtema media cell and Dr Jahangir Alam, supervisor of Tongi Shaheed Ahsanullah Master General Hospital confirmed the deaths.

The first phase of 57th Bishwa Ijtema, one of the largest global Muslim gatherings, entered its second day today in Tongi with continued spiritual activities, including the recitation of Allah’s divine names and sermons.

Earlier seven devotees reportedly died at Ijtema ground in Tongi from Wednesday till Saturday morning. Commencing on Friday after Fajr prayers, the event kicked off with general sermons by the esteemed Maulana Ahmad Buttullah from Pakistan. The grounds of the Ijtema are witnessing the influx of several hundred thousand Muslim worshippers from around the world.

Saturday’s dawn prayers were followed by a sermon from Maulana Abdur Rahman of India, which Maulana Abdul Matin translated into Bangla. The day is scheduled to continue with teachings from Maulana Zahirul Hasan and Maulana Ibrahim Deula post-Asr and Maghrib prayers, respectively.

Devotees are steadily arriving at the site by various means of transport, eager to participate in the ongoing religious observance. The culmination of the Ijtema’s first phase will be marked by the Akheri Munajat on Sunday.

To address accommodation demands, the Ijtema has been bifurcated into two phases since 2012. The subsequent gathering will take place on February 9 at the same location. A collective marriage ceremony is also set to take place in the afternoon following Asr prayers.

For security, approximately 15,000 law enforcement officials are on duty at the Ijtema grounds and the surrounding vicinity, supplemented by undercover police and intelligence personnel. The Rapid Action Battalion is also present, with watchtowers erected to oversee and ensure the safety of the congregation.

The Tabligh Jamaat has been hosting the Bishwa Ijtema at Tongi since 1967 and introduced the phase system in 2011 to better manage the growing number of participants.

UNB