Biswa Ijtema begins

The first phase of the three-day Biswa Ijtema began Friday on the bank of the Turag River at Tongi on the outskirts of the capital amid tight security, reports UNB.
The Ijtema began with the delivery of 'Aam Bayan' (general sermons) by noted scholar Maulana Obaidul Khorshed after Fajr prayers.
Six devotees died in separate incidents on Biswa Ijtema ground at Tongi in Gazipur early Friday and the day before.
Thousands of devotees attended the Juma prayers conducted by Maulana M Faruk Hossain of Bangladesh, seeking divine blessings for the country's continued peace and progress.
Many of them offered the prayers on roads and footpaths failing to manage places in the Ijtema venue, creating a long tailback on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.
The three-day Ijtema will end on tomorrow (Sunday) with Akheri Munajat (final prayers).
At a press conference at the police control room near the Ijtema ground, Superintendent of Police of Gazipur Harun-or-Rashid said there is no possibility of subversive activities in the Ijtema ground as they have taken a foolproof security arrangement.
Some 6,887 overseas devotees have reached the Ijtema venue from several countries, including India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Panama, Egypt, Oman, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iran, Japan, Canada, Cambodia, Mozambique, Russia, the USA, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, Kenya and New Zealand.
The district administration of Gazipur set up around 56 free medical camps in and around the Ijtema venue along with beds and first aid and other treatment facilities with doctors doing round-the-clock duty at each centre.
Besides, special measures were taken to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply during the three-day Ijtema.
The second phase of the Ijtema is scheduled to begin on January 20 at the same venue and end on January 22.
Tablig Jamaat has been organising the Ijtema at the venue since 1967. But, Ijtema is held in two phases since 2011 to ease the accommodation problem.
A five-tier security measure was in place for the event along with deployment of several thousand members of different law-enforcement agencies, including Rab and police.
Rab members are patrolling the ground and the adjacent areas with helicopters to monitor security measures.
Moulana Giasuddin, a senior member of the Ijtema organising committee, said devotees from 32 districts, 16 districts in each phase, are joining the two phases of Ijtema this year.
Meanwhile, six devotees have so far died at the Ijtema ground on Thursday and early Friday due to old-age complications and illness.
Two of the deceased were identified as Janu Fakir, 70, of Tangail, Saheb Ali, 35, of Manikganj and Fazlul Hoque, 57, hailing from Mymensingh district.
The namaj-e-janaza of Janu Fakir and Saheb Ali was held after Fajr prayers at the Ijtema venue.