Thousands join Akheri Munajat

Thousands of Muslims are thronging the Biswa Ijtema grounds at Gazipur to take part in the Akheri Munajat (final prayer). The first phase of the Muslims' annual congregation – the second largest after Hajj – will end with the final prayer scheduled from 11:30am on Sunday. Like earlier, traffic on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, leading to Tongi, has been stopped since Saturday midnight. Devout Muslims are walking to the Ijtema grounds. As the grounds became full to the brim before 9am, thousands were seen taking position in alleys and on the road, eager to take part in the Akheri Munajat. Holiday has been declared at educational institutions and offices, factories next to the venue. One of the organisers said, Indian Maulana Md Zobairul Hasan would conduct the final prayer before the Zuhr prayers. Bangladesh’s Maulana Zamir Uddin delivered the sermon after the Fazr prayers. India’s Maulana Saad would deliver his sermon before the Akheri Munajat. Three more people have died of cardiac arrest on Saturday night at the Ijtema. They are Siraj Mia, 50, from Dhaka’s Bongshal Bazar, Samir Uddin, 75, from Sylhet’s Golapganj, and Kashem Ali, 57, from Dhaka’s Dohar. So far, eight people, including a Yemeni citizen, have died in the first phase of the gathering. The second phase will start from Jan 31, according to a news agency.