TPW Desk:  Kishoreganj’s 274-year-old and much-talked-about Sholakia Eidgah is gearing up for this year’s Eid-ul-Fitr. Deputy Commissioner and President of Eidgah Committee Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad, Police Super Mohammad Rusel Sheikh and CEO of RAB-14 Mymensingh Region Mohibuddin Khandkar held a press conference at Sholakia Eidgah on Sunday regarding the progress of preparations including security measures.

Embracing each other on Eid day after prayer

RAB-14 Mymensingh Region CEO Mohibuddin Khandkar said that sufficient number of RAB members will be deployed for Eid day security. Apart from the regular patrols of the RAB, there will also be special patrols on motorcycles. Drone cameras will be used for security monitoring. Apart from this, a watch tower has also been placed in the Eidgah.

Police Super Mohammad Rusel Sheikh said that there will be a four-level security system around the Eidgah. Along with the law and order forces, there will be binoculars, enough CCTV cameras with drone cameras, watch towers, archways, metal detectors and many police check posts. There will be a bomb disposal team.

A huge number of Musalli gather at Eidgah for prayer

He said that the security system has been strengthened since the terrible terrorist attack here on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr on July 7, 2016. Two policemen and a housewife were killed in the attack that day. At least 10 policemen were injured. A militant member was also killed in the gunfight with the police.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad said that as always, two Eid special trains will run from Bhairab and Mymensingh to Kishoreganj on the day of Eid to facilitate the transportation of distant Muslims to the Eid congregation. Accommodation will be provided for pilgrims coming from far away. This time 5 platoons of BGB will be deployed along with police and RAB. He gave the impression that the ground preparation for prayers would be completed two days before Eid.

Sholakia Eidgah

The Deputy Commissioner said, this time the congregation will start at 10 am. It will be led by the regular Imam, prominent Islamic thinker Mufti Maulana Farid Uddin Masood. It should be noted that the journey of this Eidgah started in 1750. However, it is said that in 1828, approximately 100,000 worshipers prayed together for the first time. Since then, the entire area including this Eidga has been named ‘Sholakia’.

The 197th Jamaat will be held this time, counting the congregation since 1828. Every year, about 5 lakh Muslims from different parts of the country perform Eid-ul-Fitr prayers here. Beyond the main Eidgah, the surrounding roads, river bridges, river banks, fallow land and courtyards of houses were filled with worshipers and became a sea of people.

A rare tradition of Sholakia is to start the congregation by firing bullets. Three shots were fired 15 minutes before the start of the congregation, two shots were fired before 10 minutes and one shot was fired 5 minutes before the prayer signal.