Bangladesh: Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus strongly condemns mob attack on Amar Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka

Dhaka: The mob assault on the Amar Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka was harshly condemned by Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, who said it demonstrates “contempt” for the “rights of Bangladeshi citizens and for the laws of our country.”

According to police and eyewitness reports, a group of madrasa students stormed a stand at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka on Monday because it was displaying a book authored by Taslima Nasreen, who is now living in exile in India.

“The crowd assault on a bookstall at the Ekushey Book Fair is severely condemned by the Chief Adviser. “The attack demonstrates disrespect for our nation’s laws and the rights of Bangladeshi citizens,” the Chief Adviser’s office stated in a statement.

The open-minded nature of this significant Bangladeshi cultural event, which honors the language martyrs who died on February 21, 1952, in defense of their home tongue, is betrayed by such brutality. Our authors and fans now gather every day at the Ekushey Boimela (Ekushey Book Fair),” the statement said.

The interim administration has directed security services to take “strong measures” to prevent “any incidents of mob violence” in the nation and has directed police and the Bangla Academy to investigate the incident.

“The Bangla Academy and the police have been instructed by the interim government to look into the event and hold those responsible accountable. Police have been instructed to increase fair security and ensure that no undesirable events occur at this crucial area. According to a statement from the Chief Advisor’s office, “The government has also ordered the concerned security agencies to take strong measures to stop any incidents of mob violence in the country.”

Police and witnesses claim that the incident happened at the book booth of Nasreen’s publisher, Sabyasachi Publication.

“When a group of protesters arrived at Sabyasachi Prakashani, they began yelling the first thing they heard: Why was Taslima Nasreen’s book at the stall? Later, the public attacked publisher Shatabdi Bhava. One witness had said, “They threw away Taslima’s book.”

“Later, the situation came under control after police picked up Publisher Shatabdi Bhava and the agitators from the spot,” they said.

“After learning of the commotion at the book fair, more police were sent. Tensions between certain Qaumi Madrasa students and the editor of Sabyasachi Prokashoni were the cause of the panic, Police Official Masud Alam said to ANI over the phone.

“We took the two of them to the police department. We are attempting to determine the cause of the tensions. “Everything is under control,” he continued.

On social media, alleged footage of the assault has gone viral. One of these videos was posted on X by Taslima Nasreen.

“At the book festival in Bangladesh today, Islamist religious radicals stormed the publisher Sabyasachi’s booth. Their ‘crime’ was releasing my book,” Taslima Nasreen wrote on X.

“The removal of my book was ordered by the local police station and the book fair administrators. The fanatics assaulted, damaged, and closed the stall even after it was taken out,” she said.

“The government is supporting these extremists, and jihadist activities are spreading across the country,” Nasreen said.

Taslima Nasreen is a writer, doctor, feminist, and secular campaigner from Bangladesh.

To make Bangla the official language, a number of activists from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) gave their lives on February 21, 1952. The Bangla Academy hosts an annual book fair in February called the Amar Ekushey book fair to honor their sacrifice.

The Bangla Academy courtyard and the old Suhrawardy Udyan host one of the biggest book fairs in South Asia. The fair offers books on a variety of topics and genres.