Saad followers to leave Ijtema ground, govt to take over

Followers of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi have decided to vacate the Bishwa Ijtema ground on the bank of the Turag River in Tongi, Gazipur. Once they leave, the government will assume responsibility for the site.

Maulana Reza Arif, a follower of Saad, shared this decision with journalists following a meeting with five government advisers at the Ministry of Home Affairs conference room on Wednesday.

He stated, “The followers of Zubair are attempting to approach the grounds with a large crowd. Many of our (Saad's followers) people are already present there. To prevent any potential problems, we have decided to leave the grounds at the government’s request.”

Reza Arif urged his fellow followers to cooperate, saying, “We will leave through the west side near the Markaz via Kamarpara Road and disperse individually. Law enforcement agencies will assist us in exiting through Kamarpara.”

He added, “It has been decided that the government will take over responsibility for the ground, and no one will remain on the premises.”

This decision came after clashes over control of the Bishwa Ijtema ground in Tongi, which resulted in casualties. The government held a meeting with Maulana Saad’s followers, attended by Home Affairs Advisor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Land Adviser AF Hassan Arif, Housing and Public Works Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, Information and Broadcasting Adviser Md. Nahid Islam, and Religious Affairs Adviser A.K.M. Khalid Hossain.

The advisers later met with Zubair’s followers to address the situation.