Thousands of Saad followers gather in Kakrail, addl police deployed to avoid untoward situation

Additional police have been deployed at Kakrail in Dhaka on Friday morning to avoid any untoward situation amid increasing tension between the followers of the two Tablighi Jamaat factions.

Sohel Rana, additional deputy commissioner (Ramna zone) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said they have strengthened the security measures in the adjoining areas, through no incident of violence has been reported so far.

According to Ulama Mashayekh Bangladesh, a platform of Qawmi madrasah leaders across the country, the followers of Mohammed Zubair, imam of Kakrail Mosque, would give up control of the mosque to the followers of Delhi’s Muhammad Saad Kandhalvi, the great-grandson of the Tablighi Jamat founder Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi, on Friday on the recommendation of ‘the elders’ in a bid to deescalate the ongoing tension between the two major groups of Tablighi Jamaat in Bangladesh.

Habibullah Rayhan, a follower of Zubair and coordinator of the Ulama Mashayekh’s consultative council the Nezam-e-Shura, said they have decided to leave the Kakrail Mosque in the morning and followers of Saad will enter the mosque then.

The decision has been taken amid increasing tension between the followers of the two Tablighi Jamaat factions, which also led to a huge rally by followers of Zubair under the banner of Ulama Mashayekh Bangladesh earlier this month in the capital.

Meanwhile, followers of Saad are taking preparation to hold Jummah prayers at Kakrail Mosque and adjacent areas.

Sources said that it would be largest Jummah prayer of Saad followers in the city. Earlier, thousands followers of Delhi’s Muhammad Saad Kandhalvi have been gathering in front of the mosque since morning.

Due to the long-standing dispute between supporters of Zubair and supporters of Saad, the groups have been taking turns to conduct their activities at the Kakrail Mosque. Each groups get to conduct their activities at the mosque for four weeks at a stretch. Currently, the follower of Zubair are in control of the mosque and their period is set to end Friday.