Books authored by ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other books related to the previous Awami League government were removed from a mobile library vehicle in Rajshahi on Wednesday.
The mobile library, a joint initiative of the Department of Public Libraries and Bishwa Sahitya Kendra, was being operated in Rajshahi to promote reading habits amongst people at grassroots level across Bangladesh.
Witnesses said that a group of leaders and activists of Jatiayatabadi Chhatra Dal, student wing of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party, first raised objections about the books when the mobile library vehicle was stationed at the Rajshahi College campus at about 11:00am.
Later, Rajshahi city Chhatra Dal member secretary Emdadul Haque Limon took the vehicle to the deputy commissioner’s office and showed the books to deputy commissioner Kazi Shahidul Islam.
Then, two magistrates checked the vehicle, separate the books, and ordered the vehicle in-charge to remove them immediately, they said.
Limon claimed that more than 320 books related to the Awami League government and its leaders were kept inside the mobile library.
‘Even after the fall of fascism, these books were being circulated. We have questions whether there is an attempt to influence readers’ minds again,’ he said.
In reply to a question whether these books are banned, Limon claimed that the government had instructed authorities in Kurigram to remove books related to fascism, but those responsible here did not do so.
‘We demand exemplary punishment fot those responsible,’ he added.
However, deputy commissioner Kazi Shahidul Islam could not be reached for his comment despite repeated attempts over the phone.
Borhan Uddin Antor, assistant commissioner and executive magistrate (nezarat branch and trade and commerce branch), told New Age that they had separated the books and sent them to the mobile library in-charge Jahangir Alam for removal.
Jahangir Alam said that the books had been inside the vehicle from before and that the mobile library project had remained inactive for nearly a year.
‘The vehicle was kept at the head office for a long time. After August 5, we started operating again. Since we did not have any office or a separate place to keep the books, we kept them inside the vehicle in a hidden manner,’ he said.
Jahangir added that he had given a written commitment to the local administration that those books or books praising the previous government would no longer be carried in their mobile library vehicle or taken to any location.
