2nd phase of Biswa Ijtema ends Sunday

The second phase of Biswa Ijtema ends on Sunday with the Akheri Munajat on the banks of the Turag River at Tongi. The Akheri Munajat is scheduled to be held at 11am, said Ijtema organisers. The second phase of the Biswa Ijtema, the second largest congregation of Muslims after Hajj, began after Fajr prayers earlier on Friday. Meanwhile, Mohor Ali, 60, a devotee hailing from Jamalpur, and Shahidullah, 65, hailing from Keraniganj, died at the Ijtema ground early in the morning. Including the two latest deaths, a total of six devotees have died in the two phases of Ijtema. Thousands of devotees, both from home and abroad, gathered at the congregation venue, and are taking part in prayers and discussions. In a press briefing on Saturday morning, Police Super of Gazipur Mohammad Harun ur Rashid disclosed a special roadmap to follow ahead of the Akheri Munajat on Sunday. He said transportation from Chandona intersection to Tongi on the Dhaka-Mymensing Highway, from Majukhan Bridge to Station Road footbridge on the Kaliganj-Tongi Highway, and the road from Kamarpara Bridge to the Munno Textile Mills Gate will be restricted due to the closing prayers. Eleven shuttle buses will operate on the route from Bhora Bypass intersection to the Tongi Ijtema location, along with 19 other special intercity trains. All the intercity trains will stop at Tongi station for two minutes, he said. The restriction will come into effect from 12 am on Sunday. Vehicles will be free to run through Bhogra Bypass and Konabari to Chandra as an alternative route. A total 3,917 foreign devotees from 78 countries joined the second phase of Ijtema.  Tablig Jamaat has been organizing the religious gathering on the banks of Turag river since 1967, but the event has been held in two phases since 2011 due to accommodation and transportation problems.