DHAKA: The law enforcing agencies have chalked out a security plan to ensure the security during the upcoming Biswa Ijtema.
More than 16,000 police and RAB personnel, in uniform and plain cloths, will be deployed in the ijtema ground and around Tongi upazila of Gazipur district to keep law and order situation under control here.
Individuals concerned said members of detective branch (DB) of police already have started their tasks.
RAB commander (media wing) Mufti Mahmud Khan told banglanews that RAB intelligence and its teams will be placed to ensure security of the area.
“Special surveillance system will also be placed to protect foreign guests,” he added.
Sources said a few thousand armed security personnel will be brought from outside Dhaka in this regard.
Extensive measures will be taken, including deploying bomb disposal units, installations of monitoring and watch towers, dog squad and helicopter patrol of RAB.
Moreover, the sources confirmed that Gazipur district police, Rail Police, DMP, SB, CID and officials from other law enforcing agencies will coordinate each other to ensure the security.
However, the first phase of Biswa Ijtema will start on January 8 on the bank of river Turag in Tongi and come to an end on January 10 through ‘akheri munajat’, a special prayer.
The second phase of the three-day ijtema will begin on January 15 and conclude with ‘akheri munajat’ on January 17.
APBN and immigration sources informed the media that more than 18,000 foreigners from several countries are expected to attend the event.
The law and order personnel are in maximum alert protocol. The foreigner’s visa and other papers will go through strong scrutiny. Specially, citizens from Pakistan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and other 8 to 9 countries will go under strong surveillance.
Mentioning that around 11,000 foreigners came last year, Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told the journalists that they took preparation to welcome more guests this year.
“Special visas have been arranged in various missions of Bangladesh along with the provisions of transits for the foreigners,” he added.
Minister also said preparations have taken to provide pure water, electricity and other provisional services to the participants of Biswa Ijtema.
SM Jahangir Alam, ADC (media) of DMP, told banglanews that, “As in the previous years, DMP has been taking preparations to ensure the security of Biswa Ijtema ground and participants considering the recent issues.”
BDST: 1511 HRS, DEC 23, 2015
AIK/SR/RR
