M M Jasim :Thousands of devotees on Sunday sought divine blessings of Almighty Allah for world peace, forgiveness, unity of mankind and the Muslim Ummah during the Akheri Munajat on the concluding day of the three-day second phase of Bishwa Ijtema.Tablig Jamaat Sura Member Maulana Sad from India conducted the Akheri Munajat at about 11:00am yesterday. The devotees suffered tremendously in the early hours yesterday and Saturday due to cold wave coupled with rain.Light drizzle started in the wee ours of Saturday, the second day of the Ijtema. A vast portion of Ijtema ground was badly affected by the rain. Thousands of devotees suffered due to sudden rain. Several lakh devotees, both from home and abroad, converged on the congregation venue on the bank of the River Turag at Tongi in Gazipur and participated in the Akheri Munajat defying the ongoing cold wave, light drizzle and chilly wind. The devotees heard the sermons delivered by Islamic scholars from home and abroad braving all the sufferings and obstacles caused by the transport blockade.During the Munajat, people in and around the area raised their hands and started crying seeking blessings of Almighty Allah for their peace and progress.The gathering, some 20 kilometers off the capital, spilled over to the adjacent roads and areas around the Ijtema venue. The Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway and Ashulia-Baipail and Tongi Station Road-Mirer Bazar were off limits to vehicles from early yesterday due to the huge rush of devotees.Devotees who failed to reach the venue were taking part in the prayers sitting on nearby roads and open spaces.On the other hand, two Ijtema-bound passengers died after being run over by a train in the capital yesterday. The victims could not be identified immediately.According to Railway Police’s Sub-Inspector Rafiqul Islam, the two along with hundreds other boarded a Sylhet-bound train’s roof on Sunday. They were heading for Tongi to join the final prayers of the Ijtema. They died in Kuril area after falling off from the roof, said SI Islam.Police Constable Wajuddin died from cardiac arrest on Sunday in the Ijtema venue. Officer-in-Charge of Tongi Police Station Ismail Hossain said that Wajuddin was on duty on the Ijtema ground. As in the first phase one, a dowry-free mass wedding ceremony was held on Saturday when marriages of 100 couples were solemnised.A larger number of law enforcing members from various law enforcement agencies remained deployed at Tongi to ensure foolproof security to the devotees at the Ijtema ground.Several watchtowers were installed at the entrances to the Ijtema venue. Besides, a good number of close circuit cameras and a control room were in place.In 1948, it took place at the Haji Camp in Chittagong. Later it was shifted to Shiddhirganj in Narayanganj in 1958.With a steady increase in the number of devotees attending, Ijtema was shifted to the banks of Turag in Tongi in 1966 and has been taking place there ever since.Later, 160 acres of land was acquired and developed as a permanent Ijtema ground.
