Leader of Maulana Saad faction held

Police arrested Muaz bin Nur, a leader of the Tabligh Jamaat faction aligned with Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, early yesterday in connection with a case over the killing of three devotees at the Biswa Ijtema ground in Tongi. 

Muaz, 40, known as a spokesperson for the Saad faction, was detained during a raid in Uttara, said Iskander Habibur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Tongi West Police Station. He is the fifth accused in the murder case filed by SM Alam Hossain, a follower of rival Tabligh leader Maulana Zubair Ahmed.  

Alam, a Kishoreganj resident, lodged the case on Thursday, naming 29 Saad supporters and hundreds of unidentified others. 

The deadly clash, which broke out early Wednesday over control of the Ijtema Maidan, left four dead and 50 injured. Both factions blamed each other during separate press conferences in Dhaka. 

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Habibullah Raihan, media coordinator for Zubair's faction, accused Saad's followers of undermining the faith and pledged to file more cases.

He said that Maulana Saad's followers claim the current issue is caused by a  third-party in the Tabligh movement.

 "We want to clarify that the Tabligh movement is vital to the faith, and ulema are its protectors. Maulana Saad cannot repeatedly undermine the efforts of the faith through his actions, while the ulema remain silent. This can never happen," he added.

In Mirpur, Maulana Junaid Al Habib of Hefazat-e-Islam termed the violence a premeditated attempt to destabilise the interim government. 

Despite the tensions, both groups plan to hold their phases of the Biswa Ijtema as scheduled next year. Zubair's faction will gather from January 31 to February 2, while Saad's will convene from February 7 to 9. 

Saad's followers alleged political interference within Tabligh is threatening communal harmony and demanded Maulana Saad's participation in the Ijtema. 

Gazipur correspondent contributed to this report.