Ijtema ground clashes leave 2 dead: Police

Two people died after clashes broke out between the followers of Maulana Zubair and Maulana Saad Kandhalvi over taking over the Ijtema ground in Gazipur’s Tongi, police said on Wednesday.

Gazipur Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner (DC-Tongi zone) NM Nasiruddin said, “We have received the news of two deaths so far. One of them was brought dead to the Tongi hospital while another died at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. We are verifying all information.”

Sources at the Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital in Tongi said Md Amirul Islam Bacchu, 70, from Kishoreganj, was brought dead to the hospital.

It has been learned that he was a follower of Maulana Zubair.

A total of 39 people received treatment at the hospital following the incident, and 11 of them were sent to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the source added.

Hospital’s senior nurse Md Hafizur Rahman told Prothom Alo, “Injured people started arriving at the hospital from 4:30 am. One was brought dead while most of the injured had hit marks on their heads.”

Another devotee, Taijul Islam was also killed in the clashes, claimed Md Saim, media coordinator of the followers of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi. Md Saim said the deceased was from Bogura.

According to police and local sources, the followers of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi wanted to hold a five-day congregation on Friday. As the followers of Maulana Zubair resisted the move, they occupied the ground beforehand, spreading tension between both parties over the past couple of days.

Followers of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi started entering the ground around 3:30 pm on Wednesday, trigging clashes between both groups. At one stage, the followers of Maulana Zubair left the ground.

Md Abul Bashar, a sathi of Tablighi Jamaat and follower of Maulana Zubair from the Badamtali area of Dhaka, said, “We were guarding the gates as per the instruction of the senior sathi (member). The sathis were sleeping alternately. At around 3:30 am, followers of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi carrying sticks, and iron rods entered the grounds beside the foreigners’ khitta (designated area) at the entry point of the Kamarpara bridge. They first took over the main gate (6 no.) and then launched attacks on us from all sides.”

The followers of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, however, said otherwise. Their media coordinator Md Saim said, “We had no plan to enter the ground but our sathis were coming from various places of the country but the followers of Maulana Zubair prevented and beat us at various areas of the country. As we informed the police about the matter, the police escorted us. Yet they did not stop.”

“Meanwhile, many of our sathis took position on the Kamarpara bridge and adjacent roads as they found no place at the Ijtema mosque. All on a sudden, followers of Maulana Zubair started hurdling brick chips at us. That is why our sathis were forced to enter the ground,” he added.