Moulana Jubair Hassan from New Delhi, India conducted the 16-minute munajat starting at 12:53pm, seeking divine blessings for global peace and prosperity.

President Prof Iajuddin Ahmed, accompanied by dignitaries and government high-ups, listened to the religious sermons delivered by Moulana Rabiul Hasan before raising hands for the Akheri Munajat.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia took part in the prayers from a makeshift stage in the compound of Bata shoe factory near the congregation grounds.

Awami League Acting President Zillur Rahman, General Secretary Abdul Jalil, Presidium Member Amir Hossain Amu, and some other party leaders joined the munajat.

Hundreds of thousands of devotees filling up the Ijtema ground as well as the roads from Biswa Road bus stand to Cherag Ali Market in Tongi, turned the whole area into a human sea.

Many foreign devotees, mostly from India, Pakistan and Malayasia, also joined the congregation.

Devotees from different parts of the country started arriving by trains, buses, taxis, and other vehicles to the Ijtema ground.

Thousands of devotees got stranded on Dhaka-Ashulia and Dhaka-Mymensingh roads as traffic police prevented the vehicles from coming near the ground.

People from all corners walked towards the Ijtema ground, place of the second largest Muslim congregation after the Hajj at holy Makkah.

"I started from Panchagarh on Friday and by the grace of Allah I am finally here," said sixty-two-year old Mohammad Abu Jafar.

Many of the hundreds of thousands of devotees failing to enter the main ground had to stand on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.

"I wanted to be near the Imam but it was impossible," said a devotee.

Meanwhile, a confusion about the timing of the Munajat resulted in many devotees' raising hands early. This happened as the authorities withdrew some 200 loudspeakers to avoid chaos on the main road. The devotees standing at a distance assumed the Munajat starts at 12 noon. They raised their hands much earlier than 12:53pm when the actual Munajat started.

Some 12,000 security men including the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), armed forces battalion, reserved forces and police were deployed to ensure security at the ground. They checked suspected people and even hovered above in helicopters. Besides, thousands of traffic police were engaged in maintaining discipline on the roads.

After Munajat, returning devotees got stuck as usual on the highway as the traffic police prevented vehicles from reaching near the Ijtema ground.

A fire minutes before the final prayers sent many devotees scurrying in panic.

There was, however, no casualties.

The hour-long blaze that suddenly started at the Tongi Mill Gate near the Ijtema ground was put out by the fire brigade from Joydevpur.

As many as 1,000 devotees were treated for various illnesses while more than 200 were arrested on different charges.