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Kolkata Book Fair today witnessed a high pitched drama over launch of the autobiography of controversial Bangladeshi author, Ms Taslima Nasreen. While the organisers of the fair cancelled the scheduled programme for book release; the publisher of the book Nirbashan (Exile) released it on their own followed by flutters from supporter groups from either side.
Ms Nasreen, who is in exile was not present at the fair as well as in the country. However, her tweets on the issue added to the public interest in the development.
“Kolkata police asked Kolkata Book Fair committee to cancel my book release program. Book Fair's AC hall was booked for the program...” Ms Nasreen tweeted after the cancellation of the book release function.
Meanwhile, reacting against the cancellation, Ms Shibani Mukherjee, Publisher, People's Book Society, told media persons: “Initially they (organisers) told us that there were no chairs in the auditorium. On probing further they told us that that some groups had approached the city police against the release of the book. To prevent any law and order problems we were asked to cancel the programme.”
“Kolkata, a city of progressive! A book release even w/o my presence not possible! All political parties, all orgs afraid of fanatics! But how long?”, Ms Nasreen tweeted on a micro blogging site a little while later.
Drama
After the “unofficial” release of the book, People also rallied around the fair grounds with a copy as a mark of protest against the Publishers and Booksellers Guild – organisers of the event.
Senior officials of the city police department said that a group called “Milli Itehad Parishad” had approached them expressing reservations about the book and the religious sentiments that it might hurt if released at the Book Fair. These apprehensions had been “conveyed” to the Guild. The decision to cancel, according to police officials, however, was taken by the Guild on their own.
Mr Abdul Aziz, General Secretary, Mille Itehad Parishad, however, said: “We do not want anybody to offend other people's sentiments. We had met the police to convey our apprehensions.”
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