Ministry of Cultural Affairs confirmed that they would confer the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2025 on poet Mohon Raihan on Monday, following criticism over the initial decision of dropping his name from the award list.

The award will be formally conferred on him at the Bangla Academy premises in the capital at 11:00 am that day, according to a press release signed by the public relations officer of the ministry on Saturday.

The release stated that the government has decided to confer the award on poet Mohon Raihan after completing a review of the allegations raised against him after he was selected for the award.

An emergency meeting was held on February 27 in the presence of the minister, state minister and secretary of the ministry of cultural affairs to examine the allegations in detail.

After a thorough review of the complaints, the meeting decided with the consent of the prime minister to proceed with awarding the poet, said the press release.

Prime minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday distributed the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2025 to eight individuals for their significant contributions to the fields of Bangla literature, while poet Mohon Raihan was dropped from the award list which was announced by the academy.

Mohon Raihan, who is also a lifetime member of the Bangla Academy, claimed that the academy suspended the award without any formal declaration.

Regarding the government’s decision about the award, Mohon Raihan said that he had information on the issue and called a press conference to brief the situation on Sunday at the National Press Club.

‘After government reviewed its decision, the Jatiya Kabita Parishad held an emergency meeting today. We will disclose the decision about the matter at the conference,’ he said.