TONGI: Thousands of devotees offered the ‘Akheri Munajat’ (concluding prayer) of the second and final phase of Biswa Ijtema on Sunday morning amid the nationwide blockade called by the BNP-led 20 Party Alliance.
Indian Islamic scholar Mawlana Saad conducted the Akheri Munajat that continued from 11:24am to 11:55am at Tongi Ijtema ground.
Devotees sought forgiveness from the Almighty Allah and divine blessings for Muslim Ummah in the concluding prayer of the 50th congregation of Muslims amid huge sufferings due to chilling weather and drizzling.
Besides, 4,574 foreign devotes from 88 countries also joined the prayers on the bank of Turag River.
Besides, hundreds of people participated in the munajat at Eidgah Maidan at Chandana intersection on Gazipur Sadar, 12 kilometers away from Ijtema ground, over mobile phone and walky-talky of police.
However, the second largest Muslim congregation after the holy Hajj began on early Friday with religious sermons delivered by Pakistani Islamic scholar Maulana Ismail Hossain Godrar after the Fajr prayers.
The devotees from the 33 districts along with hundreds of foreign devotees joined the second phase which began on Friday through delivering Amboyan amidst ongoing blockade of the BNP-led alliance.
The districts are Narayanganj, Dhaka, Cox's Bazar, Manikganj, Pirojpur, Patuakhali, Tangail, Jamalpur, Barisal, Netrakona, Comilla, Meherpur, Jhenidah, Mymensingh, Laxmipur, Brahmanbaria, Kurigram, Bogra, Panchagarh, Chapainawabganj, Nilphamari, Noakhali, Thakurgaon, Pabna, Naogaon, Munshiganj, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Satkhira, Kushtia, Magura, Sunamganj, Khulna and Moulvibazar, said organizers.
The religious event includes delivering boyans (sermons) on the fundamental issues of Tabligh, prayer for the spiritual adoration, exaltation and welfare of the Muslim Ummah.
The first phase of Biswa Ijtema was held at the same venue on January 09-11.
All traffic movement remained suspended on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, Tongi-Kaliganj road till noon. Besides, due to traffic movement halt, authorities of factories, located in Tongi and adjacent areas, declared shut their production for Sunday.
Some 100 couples were married in a dowry-free mass wedding on Saturday, after Asr prayers during the second phase of Ijtema while 121 couples got married in the first phase with the consent of the bride and groom and their guardians.
A total of 17 devotees died in the two phases of the congregation in 2015. Of them, nine died in first phase while eight in second and final phase.
15 devotees of them died of cold related illness and cardiac arrest. Three others were crushed under train on their way to Ijtema ground.
BDST: 1253 HRS, JAN 18, 2015
