The supporters of Maulana Zubair Ahmed, a faction of Tablighi Jamaat, would hold a protest and an Ulama conference demanding punishment for those involved in the deadly attack that four people at the Bishwa Ijtema grounds on the banks of the Turag River on December 17.
A protest procession will be held across the country on January 10 and an Ulama conference with scholars will be held on January 25.
Maulana Nazmul Hasan Qasemi, known as a Zubair supporter, shared this information at a press conference held under the banner of ‘Ulama-Mashaykh Bangladesh, Guests and Friends’ at Kakrail Mosque in Dhaka on Saturday.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Secretary General Maulana Mamunul Haque attended the programme. He said the first phase of the Ijtema is scheduled to be held on January 31 and preparations are going on in full swing.
Regarding the second Ijtema, Mamunul said those whose hands were stained with the blood of worshippers after the attack that killed four people on December 17, have no moral right to hold the Ijtema there.
Mamunul said , “If legal action is taken against the murderer, then we want the administration to tell us how they will hold the Ijtema.”
On the night of December 17, the supporters of Zubair and Indian preacher Saad Kandhlawi clashed over the control of the Bishwa Ijtema grounds on the banks of the Turag. At least four people were killed, and several others were injured.
Maulana Nazmul Hasan Qasemi at the press conference demanded that Saad followers be banned due to criminal activities, including the murders in 2018 and 2024.
If the government does not take effective steps and make the expected progress in fulfilling these demands, then the next decision will be announced by the Ulama conference.
Meanwhile, in response to a question, Mamunul said, “I am not demanding a ban on any individual, but a ban on the collective organisational activities of the Saad faction.”
A dispute was formed between the supporters of the Delhi-based Saad and Kakrail Mosque's Zubair in 2019. Later, the Bishwa Ijtema, the largest Tablighi Jamaat gathering, was split into two phases for the supporters of each faction.
According to the announcement of Ministry of Home Affairs on November 17, Zubair’s supporters will hold the first phase from January 31 to February 2 while Saad’s supporters will hold the second phase from February 7 to February 9.
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