Sr. Staff Reporter, Kishoreganj :
The country’s biggest Eid congregation was held at historic Sholakia Eidgah ground in Kishoreganj on Monday morning with the participation of more than 500,000 attendees amid stringent security measures.
Sholakia Eidgah held its 198th Eid congregation this year on Eid day at 10 a.m .
Islamic shoaler Mufti Moulona Abul khaiker Md. Shaifullah , Khatib of Bazar Mosque led the Eid prayer.
People from far and wide came to the Eidgah in the morning to participate in the Eid Jamaat. Dewan Hybat Khan, the sixth generation of Empayor Isha Khan, the ruler of Bengal donated near seven accers land of this ground.
The first Eid Jamaat was held at 1828 on this ground. Moulona Syed Ahammad , a relatives of Dewan Hybat Khan, was the first Imam to conducted the Eid Congregation attanded by about 125,000 devotees.
The 5– tier security measures have been taken in and around the Eidgah to ensure foolproof security.
For the sake of security, there was a ban on entering the field with umbrellas, sticks, torches or lighters.
Many of the attendees were not able to find space in the field and could be seen joining the congregation on the side of the streets, river banks and the roofs of nearby houses.
Besides, a separate Eid congregation was organized for women at Sarjubala Government Girls High School grounds in the town.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Md.Hadan Chowdhury BPM, ADC(General) Mizabe Rahmat welcomed the attendees before the prayer.
Unprecedented security measures were taken in Sholakia as part of extra precautions because of the 2016 Militants attacks. A total of 1,100 policemen, were engaged in the security of the historic maidan.
Among them, 850 were in uniform, and 187 were in plain clothes. Moreover, 50 traffic officers were deployed.
Apart from this, Hundred of Army, Five platoons of BGB, RAB members, and Ansar members were also deployed.
Whole security measures were monitored by members of various intelligence agencies in plain clothes.
A bomb disposal team also came from Dhaka. The entrances to the grounds and the city are being constantly monitored by CCTV cameras.
