Biswa Ijtema begins at Tongi
Staff Correspondent
The Biswa Ijtema, considered the second largest congregation of Muslims after Hajj, begins this morning at Tongi, some 20 kilometres north of the capital, with formal speeches by Islamic scholars from home and abroad after Fajr prayers. Hundreds of thousands of devotees have already converged on the Ijtema ground on the eastern bank of the river Turag. There is hardly any space left under the huge canopy spread over 160 acres of land. Thousands of women are also participating in the Ijtema and staying at houses of their relatives in Tongi and Uttara. The speeches of the Islamic scholars will be translated in Arabic, English, French and Spanish for speakers of other languages. Devotees started arriving on the ground since Wednesday morning for the annual congregation and the entire area turned into a sea of humanity yesterday evening. Several thousand delegates from more than 40 countries have also reached the venue and are staying in a designated camp for them at the northern side of the ground. More foreign delegates are on the way, sources said. Local devotees from far and wide of the country are also streaming in their thousands into the Ijtema ground. Buses, trains and all other modes of transport are carrying thousands of people wearing white punjabi and white caps to Tongi. Bangladesh Railway has introduced special train services for transporting devotees to Tongi from different areas. State-run Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) is also providing additional services for the Ijtema-goers. Social and voluntary organisations have set up temporary medical camps to provide emergency medical services to the Ijtema participants. The district civil surgeon's office has set up temporary medical camps and kept mobile medical teams handy round the clock for handling emergencies. Additional police forces have also been deployed to maintain law and order on the Ijtema premises. Sources at the Police Control Room last night said no untoward incident has been reported from the venue. Plying of non-motorised vehicles on Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway from Tongi Bridge to Board Bazaar has been suspended from yesterday afternoon. Temporary shops and restaurants have been thrown up at different points around the ground and at Tongi town for the devotees. Biswa Ijtema will come to a close on Sunday morning through Akheri Munajat to be attended by President Iajuddin Ahmed, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and other leaders of the government and the opposition.
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