1 killed, 60 hurt in Tabligh Jamaat’s factional clashes

A man was killed and at least 60 others injured in a series of clashes between two factions of Tabligh Jamaat on Saturday for establishing control over Ijtema Maidan on the bank of the Turag River in Tongi.

The deceased is Ismail Mandal, 65, from Munshiganj. Ismail came with his son Jahid Hasan to attend the ijtema.

The clash broke out around 8:00am when the supporters of Tabligh Jamaat leader of India Moulana Zubair ul Hassan tried to enter the Ijtema premises where the supporters of top leader Maulana Saad Kandhalv took position since Wednesday, UNB quoted Abdullahpur zone traffic inspector Asad as saying.

At one stage, he said, the supporters of Maulana Saad broke open the main gate of the Ijtema ground and entered the maidan.

Earlier, the vehicular movement on the western side of the busy Airport Road remained halted from Airport crossing to Abdullahpur since morning as Saad Kandhalv's supporters attacked the followers of other faction at Airport intersection.

Then, a chase and counter-chase took place between the two groups creating panic among the city dwellers as well as creating a heavy gridlock from Mohakhali intersection to Uttara.

For the last couple of days, the anti-Saad group has taken a position on the Ijtema Maidan in Tongi, said the traffic inspector adding that the clash broke out on Saturday morning when the followers of Maulana Saad tried to enter the ground.

The supporters of Maulana Zubair took position in front of the Ijtema field gate and another group obstructed them from entering the field, reports UNB Gazipur correspondent from the spot.

The follower of Maulana Saad started gathering in front of the maidan from 6:00am on Saturday and took position in front of the main gate.

Meanwhile, additional police with armored vehicles and water cannons have been deployed to avoid any untoward situation.

This conflict between the two factions was said to be the continuation of the trouble began in the last session of Biswa Ijtema, the annual event of Tabligh Jamaat and the largest Muslim congregation after the hajj.

The groups locked into another clash over the conflict at Dhaka's Kakrail Mosque, the headquarters of the religious group's Bangladesh chapter, in April last.