EKUSHEY BOOK FAIR DMP advises publishers to avoid controversial books

Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said Tuesday that publishers had been advised not to put on display books at the coming Ekushey Book  Fair that could hurt religious sentiments or spread sectarian hatred. 
After visiting Bangla Academy premises and Suhrawardy Udyan to see for himself the security arrangements in place for the month-long book fair he told reporters that any publisher or author found flouting the advice would be penalized.
He also said that police intelligence officials would keep watch on the stalls to check displaying of books containing ‘controversial contents’.
Side by side, he said, Bangla Academy would keep its own watch.
He requested visitors not to bring or carry vanity bags, sharp weapons, and inflammable substances to the book fair.
He said that adequate police force would be deployed in and outside the book fair to provide security while the surrounding areas would be scanned by close circuit TV cameras. 
Speaking at a news conference at Bangla Academy’s Abdul Karim Shahitya Bisharad Auditorium, BA officials said that 719 units containing one or more bookstalls would be set up this year up from last year’s 663 units.
At 3 PM on Thursday, prime minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to open the book fair.
BA director general Shamsuzzaman Khan said that the PM would launch the book fair website www.ba21bookfair.com and mobile application that would provide updates on the fair to any visitor accessing them. 
He said 12 open yards within the Suhrawardy Udyan would be named after Ramesh Sheel, Mohammad Abdul Hye, Altaf Mahmood, Sirajuddin Hossen, Notun Chandra Singha, Asaduzzaman, Muneer Chowdhury, Meherun Nesa, Noor Hossain, Syed Shamsul Haque, Ajit Kumar Guha to commemorate their contributions.
The whole academy premises would be dedicated to novelist Shawkat Ali who just died, he said. 
The fair would remain open to visitors from 3 PM to 9 PM every day, said BA director and member secretary of the fair organizing committee Jalal Ahmed.
On weekends the fair would remain open to visitors from 11AM to 9PM, he said.
On February 21, the fair would remain open to visitors from 8AM to 8:30PM, he said.
Present at the news conference were BA secretary Anwar Hossain, BKash chief executive officer Kamal Quader, Nirapad Media and Communications owner Ilias Kanchan.  

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net