Over 5 lakh Muslims attend Sholakia Eid jamaat

More than five lakh Muslims attended the Eid-ul-Fitr jamaat at the Sholakia Eidgah in Kishoreganj.

The Eid congregation was held at 10:00am on Thursday (April 11). Khatib Maulana Shoaib Bin Abdur Rauf of Bazar Mosque led the Eid congregation.

This year, Sholakia Eidgah Maidan hosted the 197th jamaat.

More than five lakh people attended the Eid jamaat this year too, said Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad, president of Sholakia Eidgah Management Committee and deputy commissioner of Kishoreganj.

People from far and wide came to the Eidgah in the morning to participate in the Eid jamaat. Two trains from Mymensingh and Bhairab reached Kishoreganj in the morning with the devotees. By 9:00am, the Eidgah was packed with people.

According to tradition, before starting the jamaat, gun salute was conducted. After the sermon, prayers were held seeking the world peace, welfare of the Muslim ummah, including Bangladesh and prosperity of the country.

The railway authorities also arranged two special trains, named Sholakia Special, for the movement of devotees from far and wide.

One of the trains left Mymensingh and the other from Bhairab.

As part of the strict security measures, carrying anything except prayer caps, masks and prayer mats was prohibited. 

A large number of volunteers and a few medical teams were on duty on the field to help the devotees.

There were also CCTV cameras and watchtowers at the entrances, including the field. And police drone cameras flew in the sky.

Four tier security measures were put in place in view of the terrorist attack in Sholakia in 2016. A total of five platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed. Besides, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), police, plainclothes police and detectives in white clothes were monitoring the field in coordination with Ansar members.

Apart from CCTV cameras, six watchtowers and drones were also deployed to keep an eye on the ground.

Six ambulances and fire service remained standby round the clock for emergency calls.