Sholakia ready to hold largest Eid congregation

Preparations are in full swing for holding one of the country’s largest Eid congregations at Sholakia Eidgah in Kishoreganj. 

This will be the 197th Eid congregation of Sholakia Eidgah, the largest Eid Jamaat in Asia. 

The Eid jamaat at Sholakia Maidan will be held at 9 am on Monday and Maulana Hafez Md Shoaib Bin Abdur Rouf will conduct the Eid prayers. 

Every year, Sholakia Eidgha Maidan turns into a gathering place for Muslims. People offer prayers and seek blessings from Allah for their peace and happiness. 

According to the Sholakia Eidgah managing committee, a four-tier security system has been put in place to ensure the safety of the devotees. 

The entire Sholakia Eidgha Maidan has been brought under a thick security blanket, the committee said. 

Apart from CCTV cameras, drones will be deployed to keep an eagle eye on the ground. Two units of firefighters and ambulances will be on standby for any emergency. 

Two special trains — both named Sholakia Express — will run on Bhairab-Kishoreganj and Mymensingh-Kishoreganj routes to ensure that devotees can join the largest Eid Jamaat. 

Meanwhile, devotees will not be allowed to enter the Eidgah carrying anything other than prayer mats. 

Deputy commissioner and Eidgah Management Committee president Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad said, “All necessary preparations are in the final stages for holding the Eid-ul-Fitr jamaat smoothly and peacefully. Foolproof security measure has been taken so that no untoward incident can take place during the Eid jamaat.” 

It may be reminded that Jamindar Dewan Mannan Dand Khan, the 6th descendant of Isha Khan, one of the greatest heroes of the Baro-Bhuiyan, donated Sholakia Eidgah in 1950. 

The waqf document mentions that Eid Jamaat was held at Sholakia Eidgah Maidan some 200 years ago. In 1828, about 1.25 lakh devotees performed Eid prayers together for the first time on this ground on Eid-ul-Fitr.