Writers and publishers criticised the closing of Badwip Prakashan’s stall at Amar Ekushey Boi Mela, saying this incident will make way for more restrictions on free-thinking writers and publishers.
The decision is also in contradiction with the spirit of the book fair, which is held every year to remember and rejoice the 1952 Language Movement, the epoch fight for the right to use mother language and protest against discrimination launched by Bangalis against the oppressive forces of then West Pakistan, they said.
“This will shrink the space for writers and publishers who practice free thinking,” Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal told BBC yesterday.
On Sunday, police shut down the stall of Badwip Prakashan at the book fair for housing and selling books that could “hurt religious sentiments” and detained three people.
Visiting the Badwip’s stall yesterday, this correspondent found two police officials stationed in front of the closed stall.
Last year, the fair authority shut down the stall of Rodela Prakashani for similar reasons.
Robin Ahsan, publisher at Srabon Prakashan, heavily critcised the action. “This book fair has always been a melting pot of differing opinions and a place for free thinkers,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Online activist Baki Billah was found at the book fair castigating the fair authorities: “Bravo Bangladesh government and police! They cannot arrest machete holders and killers, but they show their strength by arresting writers who hold pen for freethinking.”
“If you want to criticise a book or a write-up, you can do that by writing your own opinion. You cannot shut down a book stall for that,” said Khalid Maruf, a young writer.
Terming Bangla Academy’s decision to close the stall whimsical, another young writer named Farzana Afrin said: “It is not right to ban a write-up or a book or a publisher. As a writer, I would say my writing space is curtailed.”
Protests brewed in the social media as well. Users of different social media platforms lambasted the Bangla Academy authorities for closing down the stall, terming the reason given by the authorities “baseless”.
When contacted, Dr Jalal Ahmed, the fair committee’s member secretary, defended the committee’s decision, saying: “Shutting down a stall that breached the fair guidelines is not against the essence of our Language Movement; rather, it was done to protect the essence of the movement.”
He further said: “I have seen the book, no sensitive people can accept it.”
Meanwhile, attendants at different stalls reported fewer visitors yesterday compared to the last few days. But the book sales were satisfactory, they said.
“Sales increased at our stall, even though we had fewer visitors,” said Annesha Prakashan publisher Shahadat Hossain.
At least 84 new titles were published at the fair yesterday, raising the number of new arrivals to 1,789.