It’s ridiculous to ask Bangla Academy or police to verify books before printing: Adviser Farooki

Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki has said recent media reports about manuscript verification before the publication of books for the Amar Ekushey Book Fair may have "created misunderstandings."

"A media report quotes a police officer suggesting pre-publication review by the Bangla Academy or police. This is unbelievable, ridiculous, and contradicts government policy," Farooki said while speaking at the National Poetry Festival's inauguration at Dhaka University today (1 February).

He said, "The government is committed to ensuring freedom of expression even if it is by abusing me, it does not matter. And censoring the publication of books, this is ridiculous. I want to clear up this misunderstanding here."

He clarified that the interim government has no plan to censor books. 

"If that police officer has said this, he has expressed his personal thoughts. We do not agree with this," he added.

Regarding the postponed Bangla Academy Awards, Farooki explained that while the ministry respects the Academy's autonomy, it also has a responsibility to investigate complaints of misuse of that autonomy, particularly concerning the influence of "allies of fascism" and personal preferences in award selections.

He said the decision to postpone the awards originated from the Academy's awards committee, and he simply publicised the director general's announcement on Facebook due to its public importance.

Farooki said, "The award process has flaws itself." 

He pointed out that nominations come from 30 fellows, all previous award recipients, creating a potential bias as these fellows, particularly those awarded in the last 16 years, may represent a specific ideology.

He also noted the rapid selection process, where nominations are opened and winners announced within an hour, raising concerns about irregularities and influence in the nominations.