Staff reporter :
A faction of Tablighi Jamaat known as the Saad group has taken control of Kakrail Mosque, the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat, for the next two weeks, after a large gathering of its supporters.
The Maulana Saad group has taken over from the Maulana Zubayr group, another faction, in accordance with a temporary agreement between the two factions.
As per the understanding, the Saad faction will remain at Kakrail Mosque for two weeks, while the Zubayr faction will take control for the following four weeks, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Jewel Rana.
Following the agreement, the Jubayer faction handed over the mosque’s equipment to the Saad group and left, he said.
Since morning, Saad-affiliated scholars and clerics started gathering at Kakrail Mosque, which spilled over into the nearby areas including Matshya Bhaban, and Chief Justice Residence in Kakrail.
The ADC, however, said that scholars and clerics from across the country had arrived in the mosque to attend the Friday prayer, after which they will leave. Some will remain at the mosque to continue their regular activities.
Amid the heightening tension, a huge contingent of security personnel was deployed around the Kakrail mosque to prevent any sort of unintended incidents.
Regarding security, the ADC said, “There is no cause for concern.”
Sources said that the Saad faction entered the mosque at 8 AM on Friday and took control of all the equipment, including cooking utensils, from the Zubayer faction right in front of us.
The Zubayer faction greeted them with a handshake and left, and they will return after two weeks. Those who will stay now will leave after two weeks.
The ongoing dispute within the Tablighi Jamaat, which has been going on for several years, has recently taken on a new form.
The Zubayer faction has even given the government an ultimatum to ban the Saad faction. Amid this, a large gathering of the Saad faction was seen.
Meanwhile, during a meeting at the Secretariat on November 4, Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Mohammad Jahangir Alam Chowdhury announced that the 58th Biswa Ijtema would be held in two phases.
The first phase will start on January 31, 2025, and the second phase will begin on February 7, 2025.
However, during a gathering at Suhrawardy Udyan on November 5, followers of Maulana Zubayer declared, “The Ijtema will be held only once in the country, not twice. No followers of Maulana Saad from Delhi will be allowed to enter the Ijtema ground in Tongi or Kakrail Mosque in Dhaka.”
Even during the gathering, the Zubayer group had made a nine-point demand, including the banning of the Saad faction.
On the other hand, in a video message on November 9, Saad-affiliated Imam Mufti Azimuddin appealed to the students of Qaumi madrasas not to come to Kakrail Mosque.
Later, on Tuesday, in a press conference at the National Press Club, Jubayer’s followers stated that Maulana Saad’s supporters would not be allowed to enter the mosque and the Tongi Biswa Ijtema ground would be shut down within 24 hours.
The conflict between the two factions first became public in November 2017 when a scuffle broke out between their supporters at Kakrail.
Since then, as per administrative decisions, the two factions have been managing their activities alternately at Kakrail Mosque – with the Zubayer faction operating for four weeks and the Saad faction for two weeks. However, the Zubayer faction has kept control of one part of the mosque year-round.
Saad supporters have alleged that under the Awami League government, the Zubayer faction, which has the support of Hefazat, has been enjoying more privileges.
The dispute between the two factions over the Ijtema ground in Tongi is also intensifying day by day.
The first Ijtema was held in Dhaka, East Pakistan (before the formation of Bangladesh) on 11 January 1954. Maulana Yusuf and Maulana Inamul Hassan attended the Ijtema.