Eid-ul-Adha, a festival of sacrifice, is among Bangladesh's most significant religious observances. It is a time when millions of people across the nation participate in rituals, travel to their hometowns, and gather in large congregations.
The unique nature of this festival presents considerable security and logistical challenges: From the safe transportation and slaughter of sacrificial animals, to managing road safety, crowd control, and crime prevention.
And with the festival drawing near, the government and law enforcement agencies have taken multi-pronged measures to ensure a safe and secure Eid. However, specific gaps must be addressed through urgent and practical steps.
Police in preparation
On May 27, 2025, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam held a high-level virtual meeting with all Metropolitan Police Commissioners, Range DIGs, and District Superintendents of Police (SPs) to review and plan for the Eid-ul-Adha period. The IGP directed all field-level officers to work with complete sincerity and commitment to ensure a peaceful and festive environment across the country. All branches of the police force have been instructed to work in close coordination.
The directive emphasized strict monitoring of animal transport routes, preventing forced redirection of animals between cattle markets, and banning illegal markets set up along highways. The IGP further ordered intensified vigilance against counterfeit currency, snatching, and extortion in and around markets, Eidgahs, and shopping malls.
The use of firearms by police personnel will follow Ministry of Home Affairs directives and be strictly regulated to ensure safety during patrols or operations in high-risk areas. Legal action has also been taken against licensed weapon holders who fail to submit their arms as required. The IGP has also directed all police officers to pay special attention to public confidence and maintain discipline while conducting operations. Firearms are to be carried only in areas with known threats or criminal activity, ensuring public safety remains a top priority.
Traffic and transport
The Road Transport and Highways Division has introduced a comprehensive plan to ease congestion and ensure road safety. Vehicles transporting sacrificial animals must use the left lane and display identification banners. Transporting passengers in goods vehicles has been strictly prohibited.
To reduce bottlenecks, the government has decided not to lease out 217 cattle markets that were previously located on or near highways. These will now be confined to pre-mapped areas with defined perimeters. Market authorities must establish separate zones for loading and unloading cattle and provide private security.
The decision to stagger holidays in factories has been taken to manage industrial traffic more effectively. At the same time, trucks, covered vans, and lorries will be banned from highways during the Eid period, with exemptions only for essential goods, medicines, and sacrificial animals.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) is launching a “Special Eid Service” to accommodate the increased demand for public transport. Speed limits will be enforced strictly, and unfit vehicles will be removed from the roads. All road repair work has been ordered to be completed at least seven days before Eid, and renovations on major routes like Dhaka-Rangpur and Dhaka-Sylhet will be suspended for seven days during the holiday. Electronic toll booths at toll plazas will operate 24/7 to reduce congestion, and a central control room will be active throughout the holidays to coordinate the overall transport management.
Mobile courts under the supervision of city corporations and district administrations have been deployed 10 days before Eid. These courts inspect roadside workshops and close down unauthorized vehicles and makeshift markets. Emergency wreckers will be on standby to clear accident sites, and the Ministry of Health has provided the Highway Police with a list of nearby hospitals for swift medical response.
Fuel stations will operate 24/7 starting one week before Eid and continuing until five days after to facilitate uninterrupted travel. Monitoring teams will be active across 149 known traffic hotspots to penalize overcharging and prevent overcrowding in passenger vehicles.
The unique nature of this festival presents considerable security and logistical challenges
Crime control
The nature of Eid-ul-Adha celebrations leads to a mass movement of people to and from urban centers. This shift makes urban neighbourhoods vulnerable to increased criminal activity, particularly in Dhaka, including mobile snatching and home robberies. Historically, areas such as Hazaribagh, Jatrabari, Mirpur, Paltan, Shahbagh, Tejgaon, and Mohammadpur have seen spikes in such crimes during the Eid holidays.
To counter this, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police must ramp up patrols, establish checkpoints, and upgrade CCTV surveillance in vulnerable locations. Residents are urged to take precautionary steps, including locking doors and windows, informing neighbours or authorities of extended absences, and avoiding displaying valuables in public.
Large gatherings at Eidgahs and in markets necessitate well-thought-out crowd control strategies. Police have implemented physical barriers, trained volunteers, and designated stewards to help manage the flow of people. Loudspeakers will broadcast safety messages and instructions, while security personnel will monitor crowd density and deploy additional support when necessary. Entry points will have security checks to screen for potential threats and ensure orderly conduct.
Digital fraud
During Eid-ul-Fitr in Bangladesh, there was a festive surge in online activities such as shopping, travel bookings, and charitable donations. This created opportunities for cyber-criminals to exploit unsuspecting individuals through various scams.
These included fake online stores offering attractive deals, counterfeit ticket vendors preying on travelers, fraudulent charities soliciting donations for fictitious causes, phishing emails or messages that mimicked reputable organizations to steal personal information, and mobile financial service frauds where scammers impersonated service providers to extract sensitive data.
To protect against these threats, individuals were advised to verify the authenticity of online retailers and charities before making transactions, use secure payment methods that offer buyer protection, remain cautious with sharing personal information, monitor financial accounts regularly for unauthorized activities, and stay informed about current cyber threats through official advisories.
While these threats were more pronounced during Eid-ul-Fitr, a similar level of vigilance is necessary during Eid-ul-Adha as online transactions for animal purchases and travel bookings continue.
Gaps remain
Despite commendable coordination and planning, challenges remain. Rural districts and remote areas lack a consistent law enforcement presence, particularly around smaller cattle markets and river transport hubs. Waste management following mass animal sacrifices also remains an unresolved issue in both rural and urban municipalities.
Whereas major cities like Dhaka and Chattogram have dedicated cleaning crews, smaller towns often struggle to maintain sanitation. Increased deployment of municipal workers and awareness campaigns on proper disposal practices are needed. Furthermore, many citizens in rural and semi-urban areas still lack awareness or resources to secure their homes and personal data effectively during holidays.
Bangladesh has undertaken a multi-agency, multi-layered approach to prepare for Eid-ul-Adha 2025. With directives from the top law enforcement leadership and detailed plans for transportation, crowd management, and crime prevention, the foundations for a secure celebration are in place.
Yet, practical implementation and public awareness will ultimately determine the success of these initiatives. Continuous monitoring, inter-agency coordination, and community involvement are key to ensuring that Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated with peace, safety, and joy across the nation.
Shaikh Afnan Birahim is a postgraduate student of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow.
