The second phase of the 57th Biswa Ijtema has begun on the banks of the Turag River in Tongi, Gazipur.

The second phase of this year's Biswa Ijtema began on Friday after Fazr with Aam Bayan (general sermon) by Maulana Ilyas Bin Saad of India. The sermon was translated into Bangla by Maulana Munir Bin Yusuf.

Maulana Yusuf Bin Saad will lead the jummah prayers at 1:30 pm. Before that, Maulana Ilyas will give a sermon on Talim after 10 am.

Maulana Munir Bin Yusuf will deliver a sermon on Fazayel before jummah. After the jummah prayer, Maulana Sheikh Mufleh of Saudi Arabia will deliver a sermon, which will be translated into Bangla by Maulana Sheikh Abdullah Mansur.

Maulana Mosharraf (Bangladesh) will deliver a sermon after Asar prayers.

Maulana Yusuf Bin Saad of India will deliver a sermon after Magrib prayers. The translation will be done by Maulana Zia Bin Qasim.

Mohammad Sayem, Media Coordinator of Tablighi Jamaat Bangladesh Nizamuddin gave this information on Friday.

The Ijtema ground and surrounding areas are already filled with Muslim devotees.

As of this morning, more than 2,000 foreign guests from over 50 countries, including India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Turkey, Afghanistan, United Kingdom and United States have arrived at the designated residence for them in the field. Foreign and domestic Muslim scholars are busy with sermons, kargujari, taskeel, talim, Quran recitation, zikr-askar and prayers in the field.

Meanwhile, more than 6,000 members of the law enforcement have been deployed to perform duties in the Ijtema area. Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Mahbub Alam said there is a strong security system in place for this phase, as was the case in the first phase.

By Thursday night, a total of six people have died at Ijtema. Media coordinator Mohammad Sayem said they died due to old age and illness.

The identities of four of them have been known. They were- Nabi Uddin (65), son of Chhabi Uddin of Goalchar village, Islampur Police Station, Jamalpur ; Mohammad Abdul Kalam (65), son of late Mohammad Mafiz Uddin of Ramkrishnapur village, Sherpur Sadar; Mohammad Abdul Halim Mia (65), son of late Mohammad Sultan Uddin of Kutubpur village, Kendua Police Station, Netrokona; and Mohammad Zahir Uddin (70), son of Yusuf Uddin of Shibnagar village, Nawabganj Police Station, Dinajpur district.

The identities of the remaining two could not be confirmed.