A 70-year-old man was killed and more than 200 people were injured after a series of clashes between two factions of Tabligh Jamaat on Saturday for establishing control over Ijtema Maidan on the bank of the Turag River in Tongi.
The man named Ismail Mandul from Munshiganj was killed in the clashes, said Gazipur Metropolitan Detective Branch Police Inspector AKM Kawsar Chowdhury. The victim had a visible injury on his head.
Over 200 people have been taken to Tongi’s Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital for treatment since the clashes began around noon, said resident doctor Md Parvez Hossain. Twenty victims were transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital
The clashes blocked the side of Airport Road headed to Tongi, leading to heavy traffic congestion. This has caused difficulties for people travelling abroad and long-haul passengers, report bdnews24.com and UNB.
Sources said, the clash broke out around 8 am when the supporters of Tabligh Jamaat leader of India Moulana Jubair Hassan tried to enter the Ijtema premises where the supporters of top leader Maulana Saad Kandhalv took position since Wednesday.
At one stage, the supporters of Maulana Saad broke open the main gate of the Ijtema ground and entered the maidan.
Then, a chase and counter-chase took place between the two groups creating panic among the city dwellers as well as creating a heavy gridlock from Mohakhali intersection to Uttara.
For the last couple of days, anti-Saad group have taken a position on the Ijtema Maidan in Tongi, said the traffic inspector adding that the clash broke out on Saturday morning when the followers of Maulana Saad tried to enter the ground.
The supporters of Maulana Jubayer took position in front of the Ijtema field gate and another group obstructed them from entering the field.
The follower of Maulana Saad started gathering in front of the maidan from 6 am on Saturday and took position in front of the main gate.
Meanwhile, additional police with armoured vehicles and water cannons have been deployed to avoid any untoward situation.
This conflict between the two factions was said to be the continuation of the trouble began in the last session of Biswa Ijtema, the annual event of Tabligh Jamaat and the largest Muslim congregation after the hajj.
The groups locked into another clash over the conflict at Dhaka's Kakrail Mosque, the headquarters of the religious group's Bangladesh chapter, in April last.