The Bangla Academy has revised its previously announced list of recipients for the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2024, dropping three names – Muhammad Hannan, Faruk Nawaz and Salim Morshed.
The academy shared the update on its Facebook page on Wednesday.
Earlier, on January 23, the Bangla Academy had announced a list of 10 awardees, before the suspension of the list on January 25 following allegations against some of the listed individuals.
The academy had said it would review the list within three working days and then reannounce the final selection.
Muhammad Hannan had been nominated in the Liberation War category, Faruk Nawaz for children’s literature and Salim Morshed for fiction.
Salim publicly declined the award on Monday after the suspension of the list.
Following the review, the confirmed recipients of the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2024 are Masud Khan (poetry), Subhasish Sinha (drama and theatrical literature), Salimullah Khan (essay/prose), GH Habib (translation), Muhammad Shahjahan Mia (research), Rezaur Rahman (science) and Syed Jamil Ahmed (folklore).
Controversy over award suspension
The suspension and revision of the award list sparked debates.
On January 25, Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki posted on Facebook that due to the social and political climate, as well as certain allegations against some nominees, the award committee had decided to reevaluate the selections and investigate the allegations.
Farooki further criticized the existing award selection process, calling for a review of its policies to prevent political influence and favouritism.
At a press conference the next day, Bangla Academy Director General Prof Mohammad Azam said if any nominee was found to be directly linked to mass killings or anti-people political activities, their award would be revoked.
Morshed Shafiul Hasan, a member of the Bangla Academy literary award board, announced on Wednesday that he was stepping down from his responsibilities related to the award.
Speaking to the media, he said the suspension and reconsideration of the award announcement had been embarrassing for those involved in the process. “This is not about resignation; I have simply informed them that I will not participate in the reconsideration."
Md Rashed Shafiul Hasan, a Bangla Academy fellow, also made a social media post confirming his withdrawal from award-related duties.
Additionally, poet Sajjad Sharif resigned from his position on the Bangla Academy executive committee, submitting a resignation letter to the director general of the academy.
