Allama Shah Muhibullah Babunagari, ameer of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, has opposed allowing supporters of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi to use the Tongi Bishwa Ijtema grounds for their upcoming Ijtema.
The position was announced at a national consultative meeting held at the Tin-shed Shobjbari point of the Ijtema grounds on Saturday.
The meeting brought together Islamic scholars and senior religious leaders representing all 64 districts.
At a press conference after the meeting, the scholars said the government had contacted Babunagari about allowing supporters of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi to use the grounds for three days. Babunagari had said he would respond after consulting senior Islamic scholars.
Following the consultations, the scholars placed two demands before the government.
First, they called on the government to maintain its previous decision not to allow supporters of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi to use the Tongi Bishwa Ijtema grounds after 2025.
Second, they urged authorities to expedite investigations into murder cases filed over incidents at Tongi in 2018 and 2024 and submit charge sheets. The cases are being investigated by the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).
The scholars also called for prayer gatherings at madrasas, markaz centres and other religious institutions across the country in connection with the Ijtema organized by supporters of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi.
They warned that if pressure were exerted on the government or disorder arose, they would launch programs in districts across the country under the direction of the central leadership in Dhaka.