Devotees from home and abroad offered Jummah prayers on the bank of the Turag River on Friday, on the first day of the three-day Bishwa Ijtema.
The first phase of the second largest congregation of Muslims after Hajj began on Friday after a two year hiatus due to Covid-19.
The annual congregation began with the a'mbayan (general sermons) of Pakistani Islamic scholar Maulana Ziaul Haque after the Fajr prayers.
Devotees from India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Syria, Chad, Tajikistan Turkey, Afghanistan, Palestine, the UK, and the US— also joined the congregation to listen to scholars reciting and explaining verses from the Quran and to renew their commitment to Islamic values.
In the afternoon, the country's largest Jummah prayers were led by Maulana Hafez Zobair Ahmad, leader of a faction of Tabligh Jamaat.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mollah Nazrul Islam said additional police personnel have been deployed in and around the Ijtema venue to ensure the security of the devotees. The venue has been brought under closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera surveillance.
Dhaka TribuneThe first phase of Ijtema will end on Saturday with Akheri Munajat (final prayers). The second phase of Ijtema will be held from January 20 to 22 this year.
Meanwhile, mobile courts were seen taking punitive measures against vendors inside the Ijtema ground for overcharging devotees.
Executive Magistrate Jakir Hossain told Dhaka Tribune that an hotelier was also fined for selling stale food items.
Devotees endure distress due to cold, polluted water
Hundreds of devotees attending the Bishwa Ijtema have been suffering from cold and fever due to the winter cold. Many caught diarrhoea after consuming food cooked with filthy water inside the Ijtema ground.
Most of the diarrhoea patients sought treatment at the free medical camp adjacent to the Ijtema venue and at the Ahsanullah Master General Hospital.
Seven medical teams from the hospital are checking on devotees in different camps.
Besides, several other organizations and individuals were seen distributing free medicine among the devotees.
Meanwhile, another devotee died on Friday at the Ijtema venue due to complications of old age.
On Thursday, two devotees died from cold-related illness.
