A faction of Tabligh Jamaat followers loyal to Maulana Muhammad Saad Kandhalvi on Sunday demanded separate dates to hold their Bishwa Ijtema at the Tongi ground, along with several other demands.

“The date for the upcoming Bishwa Ijtema to be held by the followers of Maulana Saad at the Tongi Bishwa Ijtema grounds must be announced immediately,” a speaker said while reading a written press release.

These demands were made at a press conference at the National Press Club in the city arranged by representatives of the Saad faction.

They said the Tongi Ijtema ground is government-owned and should be accessible to both factions of Tabligh Jamaat.

“The ownership of the Tongi Bishwa Ijtema ground rests entirely with the government; it does not belong to the Zubair faction under any circumstances,” a speaker said.

He said the Saad faction would have no objection if followers of Maulana Zubairul Hasan held their Ijtema at the venue several times a year, but insisted that the Saad faction should also be allowed to hold its programme there.

“An alternative venue is not possible by any means,” he added.

Referring to a decision of the previous interim government on Feb 9, 2025, the speakers claimed that an official letter had allowed the Saad faction to hold its Ijtema at Tongi from Feb 14 to 16 that year.

They also claimed that no undertaking or bond was signed barring the faction from using the venue for future Ijtemas when the ground was handed over to the authorities.

Their demand comes after Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed announced on Sept 3 that the Bishwa Ijtema would be held in two phases at Tongi from Jan 8 to 10 and Jan 15 to 17.

The Minister also said the government was considering a separate proposal from the Saad faction to hold another Ijtema at the same venue.

The speakers also demanded that the government ensure both factions can conduct Tabligh activities across the country without obstruction and take steps to resolve the dispute over the Kakrail Mosque.

The dispute within Tabligh Jamaat in Bangladesh intensified following the death of its leader Maulana Inamul Hasan, with the movement subsequently divided between followers of Maulana Zubairul Hasan and Maulana Saad Kandhalvi.

The two factions have been involved in clashes at the Tongi Ijtema ground, including in 2018 and 2024.