The death toll in the clash between two factions of Tabligh Jamaat at the Bishwa Ijtema ground in Tongi, Gazipur, has risen to three.
The deceased are Bacchu Mia, 70, from Egarosindhu village in Pakundia, Kishoreganj, Taijul, 65, from Beraid area in Dhaka's Dakkhinkhan, and Belal, 60, from Bogura.
Habibullah Raihan, the media coordinator for Maulana Zubair's group, confirmed on Wednesday that all the deceased were followers of Tabligh Jamaat Bangladesh (Shura Nizam).
According to local sources, followers of Maulana Saad attempted to enter the Ijtema ground to organize a five-day Jor Ijtema starting from December 20, ahead of the main Bishwa Ijtema. To prevent them from entering, followers of Maulana Zubair had already stationed themselves at the ground.
After 3:00 am on Wednesday, hundreds of Saad's followers crossed the Kamarpara Bridge and entered the Ijtema ground through the foreign pilgrims' camp gate. As they did, Zubair's followers, who were guarding the gate, were attacked. Saad's followers then proceeded to assault Zubair's followers, who were sleeping in various areas of the ground. The violence quickly escalated into a clash between the two groups. Many devotees were injured and were transported to Tongi Shahid Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital and Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for treatment.
The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tongi West Police Station, Iskandar Habibur Rahman, stated that the police are working to prevent any further incidents. In addition to the police, the army and BGB personnel have also been deployed around the Ijtema ground.