Police move to scrutinise books concerns publishers

Publishers have expressed concern over the police move to scrutinise books to be released in the Ekushy Book Fair to determine if any of them contains anything hurting ‘religious sentiments’.
They fear that the move will curtail freedom of expression.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police at a meeting on Sunday decided that a special team of police would go through the books to ensure that no books hurting religious sentiments were released in the fair. 
Both police and intelligence will jointly look into the controversial contents of books, Bangla Academy secretary Anwar Hossain, who was present at the meeting ahead of month-long book fair, told the reporters after the meeting.
Condemning the move, a number of publishers talking to New Age said that the police should never the authority to censor books.
They also said that censorship was an obstacle to freedom of expression but, if needed, writers could be given the responsibility of reviewing books.
Terming the decision ‘brutal and uncivilised’, Robin Ahsan, owner of Shraban Prakashani, said that such decision was an attack on free-thinking.
‘Nowhere, police are the watchdog over books’, he said.
Robin apprehended that such move would encourage extremists to launch attack on freethinkers and publishers.
Dipok Roy, chief executive of Sanghati Prokashon, said for the last four years the publishers were facing with a problem involving freedom of expressions.
‘In the backdrop of the killing of several bloggers, writers and publishers for their views and for writing and publishing books, such move will encourage the religious fanatics,’ he feared.
Academic and Creative Publishers’ Association of Bangladesh president Mazharul Islam said they would launch protest if such move by the police was implemented.
Bangla Academy director general Shamsuzzaman Khan at a briefing on Monday said they would not monitor the books to be published in book fair.
‘It is a responsibility of the home ministry’, he said.
DMP commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia on Tuesday said that action would be taken against the authors and publishers for publishing books hurting religious sentiments in the book fair under criminal code and ICT Act.
In December last year, Bangla Academy banned five publishing houses from the fair for the next two years and reduced the stall size for 15 others for selling books allegedly critical of religion.
Shraban Prakashani was banned from the fair for protesting at the closure of Ba-Dwip Prakashan stall and arrest of Ba-Dwip proprietor Shamsuzoha Manik for selling a book titled ‘Islam Bitarka’.
Shraban was later allowed in the fair in the face of widespread protests and criticism.

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