The cold wave and the daylong drizzle yesterday brought untold sufferings to several lakh devotees who arrived at the Tongi Biswa Ijtema ground for the three-day religious congregation.

Biswa Ijtema, second largest religious congregation of the Muslims after hajj, begins today on the bank of the river Turag. At least three million people from about 58 countries are expected to join.

Defying the weather, Muslim scholars started delivering sermons yesterday.

Witnesses said gunny canopies could not save the devotees from the relentless rain that started in the morning. The situation became worse when the entire 5-km Ijtema ground turned muddy.

The canopies and mats were damaged in the rain and the devotees had to collect more. Many of them collected polythene as an alternative since they were cost-effective. Many of the elderly devotees had to take shelter at various mosques and other places adjacent to the Ijtema ground.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) (Circle) Masud Ahmed, one of the coordinators of the event, told The Daily Star, "The sufferings of devotees intensified due to the cold wave, relentless rain and since all the makeshift toilets were damaged."

He said there is no way to reduce their sufferings if the weather continued this way.

Witnesses said despite the bad weather, thousands of devotees from across the country and abroad thronged the Ijtema ground yesterday by buses, trains, launches and even on foot.

Law enforcers were overwhelmed in trying to control the huge number of people coming in and there were traffic jams all day on many roads in the area.

The law enforcers, however, arrested 53 pickpockets yesterday and on Wednesday at the Ijtema ground.

Masud Ahmed said, "We arrested 17 pickpockets Thursday and 36 today. Of them 43 were produced before a court while the rest would be taken to court tomorrow [today]."

About 12,000 security personnel from police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and Ansar have been deployed to ensure security.

A few hundred members of various intelligence agencies will also be deployed at the venue. Bomb disposal units from the army and Rab have also been deployed and several mobile courts are operating. Thirty-five medical camps are providing medical care for the devotees.

Commander SMAK Azad, director of Legal and Media Wing of Rab, told The Daily Star that there will be patrols on the roads and waterways nearby and choppers will be flying above to ensure security.

He said, "The entire Ijtema ground has been divided into five sectors and 48 CCTV cameras have been installed. Besides, three monitoring centres and a number of observation towers have been set up at different points."

PRESIDENT'S AND CHIEF ADVISER'S MESSAGES

President Iajuddin Ahmed and Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed issued separate messages on the occasion of the Biswa Ijtema.

President Iajuddin Ahmed in his message termed the great tenets of Islam the guiding principles for human beings. He said the Biswa Ijtema plays a significant role in rapid dissemination of Islamic ideals and lessons of the Quran and Sunnah across the globe.

He called upon all to build their lives "imbued with the great Islamic ideology and devote themselves to the welfare of the country".

The chief adviser in his message stressed the importance of Biswa Ijtema in establishing universal peace and strengthening unity, solidarity and fraternity in the Muslim world.