On 7 January 2020, the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka issued a Security Alert for Tongi, which reads in part as follows:

“Location: Tongi, Gazipur, Bangladesh, and surrounding areas

“Event: Bishwa Ijtema, the world’s second-largest Muslim gathering, will be held in Bangladesh January 10-12 and 17-19, on the banks of the Turag River in Tongi. The main gathering point is about three kilometers north of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. About four million attendees are expected to participate.

“This annual event has major impact on vehicular and pedestrian traffic patterns throughout Dhaka.”