In a decisive move aimed at reshaping the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025, the organizing committee has revoked pavilion allocations for 12 publishers accused of unfairly securing privileges in previous years.
The decision was confirmed during a Thursday meeting by Saeed Bari, president of the Anti-Discrimination Creative Publishers Association and CEO of Sucheepatra Publications.
Meanwhile, five new publishers have been granted pavilions, signaling a shift in priorities under the current administration.
The reshuffle marks a pivotal moment for the book fair, as it seeks to balance tradition with calls for transparency and fairness, leaving the publishing community divided over the implications of the committee’s bold stance.
Bari remarked that publishers had been vocal in demanding the exclusion of establishments accused of leveraging undue political influence during the tenure of the previous autocratic regime.
As a result, prominent names like Journeyman Publishers have been completely excluded from this year’s fair.
Other publishing houses that previously enjoyed larger pavilions have seen significant reductions.
Sources at Bangla Academy disclosed that publishers such as Anindya Prokash, Anwesha Prokash, Kakoli Publications, Panjeree Publications, Puthiniloy, Mizan Publishers, and Shomoy Prokashon—all of whom previously held 24x24-foot pavilions—have been allocated only 4-unit stalls this year.
Tamralipi has been reduced to 3-unit stalls.
Even established names like Anupam, Agami, and Onno Prokash have not been spared, with their pavilion sizes shrinking to 20x20 feet.
Nalanda and Pearl Publications received 4-unit stalls, while Charulipi Publications, Genius Publications, Bishwo Shahitto Bhaban, and Shobdo Shaili were each allocated 3-unit stalls.
Reactions from the publishing community have been heated.
Osman Gani, proprietor of Agami Prokashoni, expressed frustration, calling the decision "extremely unfortunate and disappointing."
He accused the committee of fostering a "new form of fascism" and criticized Bangla Academy for endorsing such measures.
“Bangla Academy still has the chance to reverse this decision,” he said. “Those responsible for this move want to harm the book fair because they have nothing to lose—they don’t even publish books.”
Gani also highlighted a significant procedural change, noting the absence of Bangladesh Publishers Association representatives in this year’s organizing committee.
“Typically, four representatives from our association are included. This year, however, seven members from obscure organizations have been inducted, two or three of whom are known for bribery,” he said.
The publisher refuted claims of favoritism, urging decisions based on the quality of books rather than individual biases. “I have been publishing for 45 years. Compare the quality of my books with theirs,” he added.
In defense of the decision, Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025 Secretary Sarkar Amin emphasized the collective nature of the organizing committee.
"Our 31-member team comprises heads of various cultural ministry departments, cultural personalities, policymakers, and publisher representatives. The decision was made collectively based on everyone’s input,” he said.
