Sholakia Eidgah sees record turnout of 6 lakh Muslims

An estimated 6 lakh Muslims offered Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at the Sholakia Eidgah in Kishoreganj.

The 197th Eid congregation at the ground was held on Thursday morning.

The vast Eidgah ground was filled to capacity with devotees by 9 am, well before the Eid prayers, amid tight security arrangements.

The prayer, which began at 10 am, was conducted by Shoaib bin Abdur Rauf, Imam of the local Boro Bazar Mosque.

After the prayer, Sholakia Eidgah Management Committee Chairman and Kishoreganj Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad said, "An estimated 6 lakh devotees offered prayers at the biggest Eid congregation."

As per tradition, three gunshots were fired before the start of the prayers to signal the preparations. After the prayers and sermon, munajat was offered for the wellbeing of the Muslim Ummah, including Bangladesh.

The railway authorities arranged two special trains, named "Sholakia Special", for the convenience of devotees from far-flung areas. One train came from Mymensingh and the other from Bhairab.

As part of the strict security measures, carrying anything other than caps, masks, and prayer mats was prohibited, and vehicular movement in the city was restricted. A large number of volunteers and several medical teams were present at the ground to assist the devotees.

Kishoreganj Police Superintendent Mohammad Russel Sheikh said that a four-tier security arrangement was put in place this year, keeping in mind the militant attack at Sholakia in 2016. During the prayers, the security ring was formed by five platoons of BGB, a large number of police, RAB, and Ansar members.

In addition, personnel from various intelligence agencies were present in plainclothes to monitor the situation. The entry points to the ground were also covered by CCTV cameras and six watch towers.

Four police drone cameras were also flying in the sky.

The ground was monitored by six video cameras.

The Eidgah was established in 1828 by Dewan Hayat Khan Bahadur on about seven acres of land on the banks of the Narasunda River, on the eastern outskirts of Kishoreganj town. In that year, the first congregation held in Sholakia was attended by 1.25 lakh Muslims, and hence the ground was named "Soa Lakhi Maath". Over time, the pronunciation evolved to "Sholakia Maath".