THE death of four people and the clash that caused the death after a faction of the Tabligh Jamaat had attacked another faction said to have occupied the Bishwa Ijtema ground on the bank of the River Turag in Gazipur are shocking and unfortunate. Whilst a hospital in Gazipur reports three people, wounded with sharp weapons in the clash, to have died, Dhaka Medical College Hospital reports another to have died while he was being treated. Several scores are reported to have been wounded. The hospital in Gazipur reports at least 11 of the critically injured to have been sent to Dhaka for better treatment. A ban was ordered on gatherings and processions on the Ijtema ground and surrounding areas. Both the groups of the Tabligh Jamaat were asked to vacate the place. The clash broke out as one of the factions, loyal to Muhammad Saad Kandalwi, who were meant to hold their preparatory congregation in December 20鈥�25 in the run-up to the first-phase final congregation in February 7鈥�9, tried to enter the Ijtema ground, which the other faction, loyal to Zubair Ahmed, who held their preparatory congregation in November 29鈥揇ecember 3 in the run-up to the second-phase final congregation in January 31鈥揊ebruary 2, kept occupied.
The incident at hand appears to have been consequent on factional clash that broke out over the control of the Ijtema ground in December 2018, leaving one dead and more than 200 wounded. The congregation, however, began to be held in two phases in 2011 for a better management as the number of people attending had gradually increased over the preceding years. Clashes between the two factions have off and on took place over these years. In view of all this, if there had been adequate preparation of the government, the issue should not have reached such a fatal pass. There is nothing wrong about a large number of Muslims converging on the bank of the Turag for prayer sessions and religious sermons. But this is unfortunate that the factions would be clashing with each other. It is, therefore, time that the government sat with both the factions to peacefully resolve the issues and that both the Tabligh Jamaat factions showed restraint. Whilst it is important to step up security around the Ijtema ground and over the issues to head off any further clash, it is equally important for the authorities to investigate the clash and hold to account all the people who provoked and engaged themselves in the clashes that left four people dead.
In addition to everything else, which faction would hold the first phase has led to the situation at hand whilst one faction wants a ban on the other faction. The government should have handled the issues in advance and in earnest. The government should now sit with the factions to resolve the issues and both the factions of the Tabligh Jamaat should show constraints to stave off further trouble.