Committee formed to investigate chaos at Book Fair

Bangla Academy has formed a seven-member committee to investigate the tension and chaos at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair, which occurred in front of the Sabyasachi Prokashoni stall due to the display and sale of Taslima Nasrin's books. The committee has been tasked with submitting its report within three working days.

The committee includes Mohammad Harun Rashid, Director of the Academy, as the convener, and Mohammad Khorshed Alam, acting manager of the press, as the member secretary. Other members include Professor Dr. Mohammad Rabiul Islam from the Institute of Social Welfare and Research at Dhaka University; Mohammad Khalid Hossain, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Culture; cultural personality Mohammad Romel; Abul Bashar Firoz Sheikh, representative of the Bangladesh Publishers and Booksellers Association; and Mohammad Khalid Mansur, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Shahbagh Police Station.

Selim Reza, Secretary of the Academy and Head of the Fair's Taskforce Committee, said, "We will make a decision after receiving the investigation committee's report."

On the night of Monday (February 10), the publisher Shatabdi Bhav became the target of a group of angry individuals after the display of exiled writer Taslima Nasrin's books at the 'Sabyasachi' stall at the book fair. The publisher was escorted out of the fair with police assistance and was publicly forced to apologize. The stall was temporarily closed, and despite Bangla Academy's later announcement to reopen it, the stall remained closed until the afternoon of Tuesday.