Katiadi (Kishoreganj) Correspondent:

The 199th Eid Jamaat of the holy Eid-ul-Fitr will be held today at the country's ancient and traditional Sholakia Eidgah. The congregation will start at 10 am at this Eidgah located on the banks of the Narsunda River in Kishoreganj city.

Maulana Mufti Abul Khair Mohammad Saifullah will lead the Eid Jamaat this time and Maulana Zobayer Ibn Abdul Hai will serve as the alternate imam. The district administration has requested the devotees not to bring any other items except the prayer mat and mobile phone. All preparations for the Eidgah ground have already been completed.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Aslam Mollah said that this year too, the Eid Jamaat will be held in a festive and solemn atmosphere, as is the tradition every year. He urged the devotees to be present on time.

Superintendent of Police Dr. S.M. Farhad Hossain said that strict security measures have been taken for the Eid Jamaat. Six watch towers, four drone cameras and adequate CCTV have been installed in the Eidgah area. Police, RAB and law enforcement personnel will also perform their duties in plain clothes and the entire area will be under multi-layered security.

To facilitate the movement of devotees, it has been announced that two special trains named 'Sholakiya Eid Special' will run on the Bhairab-Kishoreganj-Bhairab and Mymensingh-Kishoreganj-Mymensingh routes.

Legend has it that the Islamic saint Hazrat Shah Syed Safi Ahmed, who came from Yemen, led the first Eid congregation in Sholakiya in 1828. Under his influence, almost a lakh devotees gathered at that time. It is said that the name Sholakiya has originated from the word 'Sholakiya'.