Imam Hafez Jobayer of Kakrail Mosque led the Juma prayers with the rows of worshippers spilling out of the 160-acre Ijtema ground covered by a gigantic canopy.

State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, a number of political leaders, the home secretary, and the inspector general and other senior police officials also took part in the Friday prayers.

M A Hannan, chief executive officer (CEO) of Tongi Pouroshabha, said according to their estimates, the number of participants in the Juma prayers would be between 15 and 20 lakh.

Some 3,500 foreign pilgrims from more than 40 countries are also taking part in the event. They are staying in a camp designated for them at the northern side of the ground. More foreign delegates are on the way, sources said.

Thousands of women are also attending the solemn annual function staying at their relatives' houses in Tongi and Uttara.

"In my life I've never seen so many people participate on the opening day of the three-day congregation," observed Moulana Abdul Huq from Narayanganj, who claimed to have attended every Ijtema held so far.

Explaining the unusually high attendance Mohammad Zubair from Chuadanga said, "Most of the people who usually participate in the concluding prayer on the final day this time have come on the first day with a view to take part in the Friday prayers."

Except those who had arrived earlier, the congregants started to come in thousands since early morning yesterday from across the country and abroad turning the area some 30km off the capital into a human sea.

Maulana M Mostakim from New Delhi, India delivered the 'Aam Boyan' (principal sermon) after the Fajr prayers. Throughout the day, discussions on various aspects of Islam took place, including lectures by Maulana Ismail Sudarail from Pakistan, Maulana Jobayerul Hasan and Maulana Sha'd, interspersed with the regular prayer sessions held en masse.

EVENT MANAGEMENT
The ground prepared since early last month has over eight thousand tents, 10 thousand electric bulbs and three thousand loudspeakers powered by four power generators.

More than 15 thousand security personnel including 6,500 police brought in from the districts, 1,000 troops of Rapid Action Battalion, 500 members of Armed Police Battalion and 300 ansars were deployed in the area.

Sources at the Police Control Room said except for a few arrests no untoward incident has been reported from the venue.

A total of 29 makeshift medical camps have been set up near the control room of Tongi Pourosabha in the venue where basic healthcare, check up and limited curative services are available for the Ijtima participants free of cost.

The Tongi Pouroshabha authorities are supplying drinking water at different points, while places have been designated for large-scale cooking and a makeshift market for the participants to buy food and other necessary things.

Twelve mobile courts have been formed and assigned to ensure that the food sold to the devotees are fresh and hygienic. "Today we've fined nine people a total of Tk 27,000 for selling stale food here," said one magistrate leading a court, refusing to give his name.

Traffic police and Military police were posted along the entire Dhaka-Tongi stretch of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway to regulate the huge number of vehicles pouring in by the minute. Plying of non-motorised vehicles on the highway from Tongi Bridge to Board Bazaar has been suspended from Thursday afternoon.

Bangladesh Railway has arranged special train services for transporting devotees to Tongi from different areas. State-run Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation is also providing additional services for the Ijtema-goers.

The Ijtema, organised annually by Tablighi Jamaat, will end on Sunday morning through Akheri Munajat with President Iajuddin Ahmed, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Opposition Leader Sheikh Hasina and other government high-ups attending.

DEATH, INJURIES
An unidentified man of about 56 years died yesterday apparently of cardiac arrest in the Ijtema ground.

At 9:15am three people, all of them coming from Noakhali, received serious burn injuries while cooking, as a kerosene-stove suddenly burst.

Of the three, M Billah Hossain, 30, who was said to have suffered at least 23 percent burn, was admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital while the other two were admitted to Tongi Hospital.

The pourosabha CEO said, "Forty participants have been sent to the 50-bed Tongi Hospital but the number of sick people is much higher. Most of them are getting private treatment or being sent elsewhere."