Ijtema violence claims 4 lives, over 100 injured
Staff Reporter :
At least four people were killed and over 100 others injured in a clash between followers of Maulana Zubair and Maulana Saad over the control of Tongi’s Biswa Ijtema ground in Gazipur.
The clashes took place at around 3:00am on Wednesday.
The deceased have been identified as Amirul Islam Bachchu (70) of Egarsindu village under Pakundia police station in Kishoreganj district, Belal (60) of Beraid area of Dakshin Khan, Dhaka, and Tajul Islam (70) of Bogura. The identity of the other person has not been confirmed yet.
Meanwhile, fearing the situation might deteriorate a large number of army, police, elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members were deployed around the Ijtema ground along with various armored vehicles.
Additional precautions were also taken at Kakrail Mosque and DMCH, with a ban on gatherings, processions, and loudspeakers in areas near the Ijtema grounds.
Law enforcement has also restricted public access to the grounds and surrounding regions.
Tongi West police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Iskandar Habib confirmed the matter to the media saying that police are working at the spot to contain the situation under control. About a hundred people were injured, the police officer said.
“Those in serious condition were sent to different hospitals, including Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH),”the OC added.
According to locals, Saad’s followers began entering the Ijtema ground from the west bank of the Turag River around 3:00am, via different routes. Zubair’s followers took position on the Ijtema ground and hurled brickbats at them, triggering the clash.
Biswa Ijtema of the Tablighi Jamaat has been held since 1967 on the banks of Turag, 22km north of Dhaka. It has been held in two phases since 2011.
Earlier in 2018, differences arose between its organisers over a statement by Maulana Saad, India’s renowned cleric and top Tablighi leader. Since then, supporters of the two groups have been participating in the Ijtema separately.
In this regards, Home affairs adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has expressed a firm stance on bringing those involved in the killings at the Ijtema ground to trial, saying that four people died in the incident.
“There is no scope to spare the individuals involved in the murders. The perpetrators will be brought under the law following a case,” he said after holding separate meetings with two factions of Tablighi Jamaat at the ministry on Wednesday.
When asked if Saad supporters will be allowed to participate in the upcoming Ijtema, the adviser said that if the two factions can settle their issues through discussions, Saad supporters will be permitted to join the congregation. He also noted that the government has not yet canceled the Ijtema date.
However, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish secretary general Maulana Mamunul Haque claimed that the deaths were caused by an attack by Saad supporters. The home affairs adviser later corroborated the Hefajat leader’s account.
Amid escalating tensions between the two sides, the adviser convened separate meetings with both Tablighi Jamaat factions at the home ministry. While disclosing the meeting outcomes, he expressed a firm stance on taking legal action against the perpetrators.
Considering the situation, four platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed in Tongi following a clash between factions of Tabligh Jamaat, which resulted in death of four people.
Md Shariful Islam, Public Relations Officer at BGB Headquarters, confirmed the deployment on Wednesday morning.
Besides, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has imposed a ban on any gathering in parts of the capital’s Uttara and Abdullahpur following clashes between two groups of Tablighi Jamaat.
DMP commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali issued the notification banning any gathering, procession or protest in the city’s Kamarpara, Abdullahpur, Uttara 10 and nearby areas such as south and west of Turag river.
