Biswa Ijtema comes to an abrupt close

Dhaka, Jan 25 (bdprem.com)—The Biswa Ijtema came to an abrupt close at 8:15pm Friday with a rushed akheri munajaat because of bad weather that claimed lives of two devotees. Your Ad Here Maulana Zubairul Hasan, imam of Delhi Mosque, led the concluding prayers, scheduled for Sunday, that started at 7:55pm at the Tongi Ijtema grounds. Earlier, Tongi municipality chairman Azmat Ullah told bdnews24.com at 7:40pm that inclement weather had compelled the organisers to call an early end to the second largest annual Muslim gathering after hajj. The religious event began Friday after Jummah prayers at Tongi near the capital. Some devotees had been suffering discomfort due to the cold spell and foggy weather. Many arrived prepared to cope with the January cold, but the rains and bitter cold winds have been unexpected, they said. The annual three-day Ijtema has been drawing the largest number of Muslims, after the hajj, from all over the world since 1967. The organisers of the 2008 Biswa Ijtema expected about 2.2 million devotees at the Ijtema grounds during the religious event.